The Theoropolis Saga
by RexRock
Summary: [CHAPTER 18 UP! PLZ READ KTHX] In a distant city where many of our beloved game characters work for a living, a boy from the outside world faces a quest to restore order to a decaying senate and retrace his friends. Commentary is very much appreciated.
1. Prologue

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Wow, it's been a long time since I last wrote a fanfic on this particular scale. And it's been a long time since I made an attempt at crossovers too.

This was something that has been in development for the past few momths. The premise is thus - the characters that we grew up with, gaming or otherwise, all reside in a city far away. Some of those still in business work hard on their new produce to share with the outside world, usually via a new game or movie or TV show or books, graphic or otherwise.

So how would it feel like if someone from the outside world stumbled upon the city and its foreign delights? That is what will be answered by Fletch Davis, our main protagonist and one of four original characters in the entirety in the fic (the others are his best friend Han Willis and his sister Akumi, as well as Emperor Ariel, the ruler of Theoropolis). The rest will be dominantly videogame characters, though there is also the occasional cartoon/comic/movie character. If you want to find out where some of these characters came from, usually it's best to look up their names in Wikipedia or something. It's often explained more in my concept art in my Deviantart archive.

Now that I've gone through the basic background, I think we shall begin. Thank you, and I hope it gets picked upon really well. If so, expect releases every Monday

Peace out,

-Rexy-

_

* * *

__Fort Pearl._

_It was a place where I spent my days growing up. A place where I spent residing and learning morals from my family. A place where I had fun for the entirety of my childhood as it is now. _

_As I look back over what it is, I remember it to be one of the most beautiful scenes I may ever get to witness. The ocean waves among the shore made it feel so beautiful, and the residents that came to us over time were calm and peaceful to us._

_The forests behind me also showed a beautiful texture to it. I would look back and think over the memories I had with my closest friends out there, many of which were positive, and many of which were also negative too._

_The winds often speak to me too. I don't know what kind of messages they are, but I like to ponder about them at times. Sometimes if they're clear enough I could recall different messages from them._

_**I want to learn to play American sports with my friends.**_

_**I want to begin my story all over again.**_

_**I want to see what it's like to be a frantic runner in the real world.**_

_**I want to fight creatures that can't necessarily be associated with fighting.**_

_**I want to be a hero in Outer Space.**_

_I don't even know what many of these messages mean or what they feel like, but to me, it was almost as if nature was getting ready to speak out for itself. I often treated these things as some kind of a wonder._

_No matter what, Fort Pearl is something that I would treat like home, for now and for what it should be._

**

* * *

**

Day 1

_Senatorial Housing, Philip Cosmopolitan District - 11:30AM_

In an unknown location stood a majestic manor house on top of a grassy hill. Tall mountainous edges surrounded its gardens, which consisted of growing flowers and a set of stone steps that ran right in the middle of it.

Colored with royal shades of gold, silver and dominantly blue, the building stood to be only two stories tall but was wide enough to ensure that it would dominate an entire back street. Freshly cleaned windows and a few polished doors graced its exterior.

Inside the building itself was a hall that was covered with metallic blue wallpaper and chandeliers that went right upon the ceiling, glowing a faint yellow color to match the feel outside. Checkered black and white tiles made the basis for the floor.

"The weekly union of the Senate of Theoropolis will commence in 10 minutes!", echoed a voice from further down the hallway. "All Senators please report to the conference room immediately!"

From that side of the hall came a female figure wearing a pink uniform, with edgy collars and trims and multiple pockets that graced the clothing. A pink pleated dress and high-healed shoes were designed to match her uniform. She had golden hair tucked in neatly within her rectangular white head, complete with pure blue slanted eyes.

She waited there patiently, waiting for people who would receive her commentary. And then they arrived – several other entities coming down the hallway. They wore similar outfits to the figure in the pink uniform, except theirs were entirely blue and the male personnel wore pants and boots instead of skirts and high heels.

It took them a few minutes to settle into the room where the female in the pink uniform came from – a giant conference room, where a brown polished table was placed in the center of it. Ten chairs were also placed around it, four each around the two lengthy sides and two more placed on one of the smaller edges. The small edge facing the door had a large chair with golden cushions placed onto it.

"Just relax, everyone", the pink uniformed female spoke calmly as she gestured the other entities to their seats. "We will start as soon as the Emperor comes in. Then we can commence with the daily agenda."

To that, the figures all sat down in their seats one at a time, and as soon as they did they spent time whispering and conversing among themselves. The personnel were left to be a diverse bunch of entities.

One side of the table had a small robot only just being as tall as a teenager's leg, placed with a gray hare with a white moustache. Two female humans – one with blonde hair and another with brown hair – were also seen getting accustomed to one another.

The other side of the table had a green toad/fly hybrid with a large tooth-filled mouth talking with an elder human with a blue bandana around his forehead and a duck that resembled a vampire. The fourth chair in the set was still empty.

"It shouldn't be too long now until he comes out through those doors", muttered the female as she reached her seating near the back of the room.

Just as she was accustomed, another figure made his way through the same doors she gestured through. This figure stood to be the tallest figure in the room, gesturing to be twice as tall as any of the blue uniformed personnel.

He too wore a uniform in the same style as everyone else, this time being red of color. And his head was almost set in the same fashion as the female figure in the pink uniform, except that his face was completely gray, the rest of his head had bright dotted and swiveled patterns of colors from all over the prism spectrum, and a crown graced his head.

He made his seating next to her, and as they did, they both turned their heads towards a set of double doors to the side of the room. For that, they would assume, is where their Emperor would come through.

* * *

In another part of the building, there was another hallway. It had the same color scheme as before from the ceiling through to the checkered tiles, but there were portraits of many different types of entities on the wall, some dating back to hundreds of years.

Going down the hallway walked a figure wearing a blue uniform, just like some of the personnel in the conference room. The occupant of this uniform, however, was a human with yellow skin, a head that's almost as big as his body, black hair forming half a ring on the back of his head and a beard to match, and a large uppercase 'N' placed on his forehead. It might be a wound, or a tattoo, or maybe permanent ink, but only the occupant knows for sure.

He then made his stop at a large set of double doors at the end of the corridor, painted with a cobalt blue color with occasional white stripes. He took a hold on one of the door handles and opened it for himself.

"Good morning, your highness!" he exclaimed in an enthusiastic and jolly tone.

He was greeted to a very spacious room about four times as wide as the hall he just traversed. A red carpet lead its way towards a throne right at the back of the room, which seemed like it would extend for miles.

He walked in the direction of the throne, its shape starting to become more distinct as time went on. The footsteps that he took felt so much warmer on the carpet, but didn't stop his spoken actions being echoed across the walls.

"Are you ready for the Weekly Agenda?" the visitor asked. "I can escort you down if need be."

He took a few steps further, expecting to hear an answer grace his voice in a few seconds. But they passed. Maybe the Emperor was focused on something else, he thought. But it was up until the throne came into further view.

"What??" he panicked.

The throne was in full sight, but instead of an entity being expected to sit there, there was no one. In panic, he made a run towards the throne, his face showing panic over what could or might potentially have happened to him.

As soon as he got there, he looked straight down at the throne seat itself. And there it was – a letter in an envelope, secured by a seal with a pink bird in the middle of it. He grabbed the envelope and tore it apart.

Frantically and furiously he read the letter, his eyes starting to show strain with each passing second and small droplets of sweat starting to come down his forehead. As he reached the bottom, his hands started to tremble.

And from the outside of the room, a scream was heard, followed by several muffled footsteps. The visitor ran out of the room in over thrice the time he spent walking to the throne to begin with. With the letter flapping in one hand and his fist clenched tightly in another, he made his run to a room from the direction of the hall he just came from.

* * *

As that setting occurred, focus is soon paid to a more distant location – a woodland forest that was much closer to suburban housing than the Senate building. Pine trees graced the woodlands, with colorful flowers being placed beneath them.

Among the flowers, a small chipmunk was seen making its way from one tree to another. As it did that, it came to a stop, scratched its head with one of his paws, and continued to make its journey.

Around the other side of that tree, three children were seen in a small clearing, sitting on a red, pink and white tartan rug. A brown wicker basket was placed to the side of one of which – a small black haired boy wearing what could have looked like sailor's tunic from first glance with its blue, red and white color scheme, with his fringe covering one of his eyes completely.

"Heh, nothing like a lunchtime picnic to face the day, right?" he spoke with his mouth full of pastry.

In front of him were two other figures – a blonde haired boy wearing a dated brown hat covering his blonde hair as well as assorted blue and purple clothes and an orange t-shirt with black triangles pointing up, and a ginger haired girl looking elder than the two boys, with her long hair in pigtails and donning a lot of blues and greens on her outfit with the exception of a brown non-pleated skirt.

The rug itself had some empty plates, some others with chicken bones stacked on top of one another and others with fruit peels and skins tucked together inside used sandwich bags. A bottle of water was consumed all the way down to its last mouthful.

"I can say it was lightly satisfying", the young blonde boy replied. "I find it odd that our other guest wasn't able to attend to us."

The black haired boy then swallowed his pastry and spoke back. "I agree, Han. Still, at least Akumi didn't mind eating the remains that he could have had himself."

He looked over to the ginger haired girl, who was seen picking up a plate covered in barbecue sauce and licking it clean. At the sight of it, the blonde haired boy covered his eyes, showing disgust.

"As long as we had fun here", Akumi said happily when she finished, "that's all that matters, right? I can't really imagine a summer day quite like this for a while. I love you guys!"

Enthusiastically, she got up onto both feet and made a jump towards the black haired boy's side and brought her arms into a hug across his torso. The pressure she caused on him made him pull a face of pain.

"Hey, get off sis!"

He retaliated by forcing himself out of the hug, using his arms to bring her arms away from his body, leaving him room to roll away from the mat and towards a moss covered log nearby. He panted for breath before raising his voice to respond again.

"Next time you want to hug me like that, do it in a place where it's unlikely that anyone can see us!"

Han couldn't help but laugh. "Oh yeah, like who would do that? How about that caterpillar on that tree? That bird flying above us? Or that chipmunk just passing by in the middle of the road?"

Akumi's eyes just lit up. "Wait…"

She looked to one side of the clearing, and then the right, both instances showing her pigtails moving in parallel among the still wind currents. Unable to see anything, she got up onto both feet once again.

"Did someone say 'chipmunk'?"

She turned to Fletch, whom just shrugged back at her. And then she looked at Han, his eyes fixed on something in front of him. He looked at his direction, and on the ground, she saw what she was looking for.

The small brown chipmunk that ascended the tree earlier was there, holding a nut in one of its arms. Then just by instinct alone, it used its front teeth to start digesting it. At the sight of its actions, Akumi's jaw dropped from her mouth.

"Oh my God, Fletch, I want to keep this as a pet!" She jumped as she ran towards the black haired boy. "It looks so light and adorable! And look at its eyes! They're almost as round as opals!"

"Are you crazy?" he shrieked back. "Mom would kill us!"

"Sure, but look on the bright side. At least it's not a goose", smiled Han.

"Yeah, but listen to me!" Fletch replied sounding more frustrated. "There's no way that my mom would let her take a pet that isn't from the pet store. You know how fussy she is over everything!"

He turned towards the clearing, expecting to see Akumi with the chipmunk. But sure enough, none of them were there. He looked towards a nearby passageway, and saw her running down a dark path, heading deep into the forest.

"Akumi, wait!"

She didn't respond to his cries, which echoed right around the proportion of the woodland. In the few seconds that passed, her body was seen fading into the fog deep into the forest, her running steps fading out until they were almost inaudible.

Fletch's expression showed panic, with his one eye twitching and his mouth being brought into a toothy quiver. Very roughly, he turned back towards Han, whom was seen making a brisk step towards his standing position.

"We can't dilly dally now. We have to go after her!" Han commanded to Fletch.

"Damn right!"

And so they both ran down the path together, with their running stances being almost parallel to one another. Their speed left them to be fast enough to see Akumi making a right turn at the top of a slope, leaving them both to show relief on catching up with her.

The twigs and stones that littered the ground snapped and slid respectively as they went further and further on. But they still managed to keep a good grip over themselves as they went towards the top of the slope, seeing Akumi making a dash along a path on the other side.

"Come to me, you adorable little fluffy thing!"

Almost panicking, both boys slid down the other side of the slope, Han being on his feet for the entirety of the descent, and Fletch tripping up over a tree root halfway down and reaching the bottom on his belly.

At the bottom, Han quickly took Fletch's hand and pulled him towards the same pathway that Akumi ran down. By then, the fog became more and more intense and their vision of Akumi was turning to a blur.

"Damn, we're losing her!" Fletch shrieked with worry.

"Just remain focused on her!" Han commanded back. "We have to keep going!"

They continued to plow through the intense fog, with their running becoming more and more frantic than before. Han continued to focus ahead, while Fletch started to flinch and look to the ground for a means of direction.

They went up another bump in the road, where Han managed to see Akumi make a harsh right turn behind a thicker set of trees. Making a tight grasp on Fletch's wrist, he pulled him further up the path with him.

Faster and faster they came towards the turn-off. The speed in which Fletch was pulled was so fast that the visions of his surroundings completely blurred around him. It was only by the time they stopped at the corner when he regained his senses.

"She went this way!" Han shouted as he pointed to his right. "Just keep going!"

And then they both ran again, this time Fletch not requiring any of Han's help. By then, the amount of corners among the forest passage has increased to the point that keeping up with Akumi was sounding tougher by the minute.

A tight corner to the left at a giant willow tree and another tight corner to the right at a giant cherry blossom tree slowed them down even more, as did the path slowly becoming tighter and restricted in light coming from above.

And then, they came to a stop. A fork in the road was seen, with light only coming from a gap above them. The paths to the left and right looked as if they were getting progressively darker, to the point that visibility upon going along them would be tighter than going through fog.

"Damn, which way do we go?" Fletch panicked to Han.

"You ask me! You're the one keeping track of her!"

"But she could have gone anywhere!"

Hesitating, Fletch took a look at his surroundings. The left and right paths looked completely identical – the same types of trees and flowers graced them both at precisely the same angles. The ground was reduced of stones and twigs and was covered in moss instead. Neither pathway had footprints leading off due to the texture.

The temperature within the forest became colder, adding to his panicked expressions. A small tear started to go down his eye, going slowly down his cheek in the chilly air. He soon retaliated by wiping it off with one of his hands.

"The minute I see her, I swear I will tell mother to give her a good spanking", he spoke half-angrily and half-mournfully.

Han looked at his expression and started to feel sorrow towards him and his sister. "I tell you what, to make you feel better, I take the right and you take the left. That way we cover more ground, and one of us is sure to catch up with Akumi in no time."

"I hope this works, otherwise you know what will happen..."

"Oh yeah", frowned Han. "I'll have to take Akumi to school every day next week."

"Exactly."

And so, Fletch ran down the right path, and Han went down the left. He made a cautious jog through the coming darkness, making his progress through with nothing but the sound of the wind to fill his ears.

"I can just hope that nothing too drastic has happened", he whispered to himself.

Eventually, the winds started to get more intense, leaving him to shiver on the spot on occasion before running again. The increasing darkness didn't help him either, causing him to stop in his tracks more, wondering which direction to pace to next.

And then, darkness completely surrounded him, leaving him to place his hands out to guide his way. His eyes became more strained as he continued to struggle to see through the dark.

But a few seconds later, there was a light at the end of the passage…

_To the Senate of Theoropolis,_

_I am sorry for departing the premises like this, but there's something worrying happening. For the past two months I felt a strange presence making its journey towards the housing and abolishing me from the throne. I would fight back, but if I need to, then I must find a way to focus without slipping. This encounter will need to happen eventually._

_So my words are this – if anything bad ever happens to the Senatorial Housing, I would like you to defend as well as you can. You were placed in the Senate for a reason, and I want you to support the cause before the city will be taken over._

_For now, I advise you to find someone who will assist in fighting off this threat. I won't make a step back inside the Senatorial Housing until the threat has been extinguished._

_I hope you understand, and once again, I'm sorry for leaving you alone like this._

_Regards,_

_Emperor Ariel_

The conference room in the Senatorial Housing was brought to silence as the large-headed human figure read the letter aloud to the rest of the persona in uniforms. Many of them had wide-eyed expressions, with the exception of the vampire duck, whose jaw was dropped.

He passed the letter around the table leaving people to skim read it to make sure he was telling the truth. The rectangular-headed entities in red and pink shared the letter between them, before passing it onto the robot, which then sent it towards the gray hare.

After reading through it, he passed the letter to the two females, his hands starting to shake. The brown female almost snatched the letter from his hand before reading it, with the blonde girl looking right over her shoulder.

"Oh my Goodness, Lara, what does this mean?" she asked the brown female.

"I don't know Samus, but if we think about the Senate's situation, this can't be good."

Samus brought herself back down to her original seat, starting to show a feeling of unease on her face. As that happened, Lara brought the letter around towards the other side of the table, towards the elder male human.

"Senator Cortex", addressed the robot to the large-headed human, "considering you were the one who found the mail, do you have any ideas on how to approach this situation? I mean, we can't lose control of the city because our Emperor has suddenly gone AWOL for good reason."

"Fear not Clank, for I am sure that the King of All Cosmos – I would mean, the Prime Chancellor - will maintain a solid rule over the city for the time being."

The rectangular-headed female in the pink uniform blinked back at him. "While I understand your intensions, I'm sure that he will end up juggling too much on his place what with his current job and all. Is that right?" she then asked as she turned to the King - the entity in the red uniform.

"We agree with your statement, our Queen", he replied with a frown. "While we will maintain the city's order as sharply as we can, we need to find another way to get Ariel back here before it's too late!"

His last exclamation echoed across the room, to the point where many of the Senate members remained still, as if in a freeze frame in a continuous drama. Only a few blinks were then exchanged between one another in the five seconds that happened.

Senator Cortex was the first to break out of it, glancing all around the room looking desperate all the same. His hands clutched tightly as he took a stride forward, his eyebrows getting tense all the same.

"Well? Does anyone have any ideas?"

One by one, the senators' heads started turning to one another, hoping that they'll find some possible solutions to the problem. Eventually, the gray hare's hand was raised straight up into the air.

"Yes, Senator Hare?"

The gray hare gave out a smile. "I actually know of a friend who worked with me a lot, and shows bravery even when off-screen."

"Oh, it's one of your Starfox buddies, is it Peppy?" replied the vampire duck as he took out a broccoli sandwich from behind his coat. "Ask an obvious question, get an obvious answer."

"Yes, but he's made more friends of his own and are running some sort of neighborhood watch in the middle of town. I don't know where exactly to be honest, Duckula, but if I can contact him this can mean one step to help restore Ariel's place on the throne."

The senate members started talking amongst themselves upon hearing Peppy's plan. A taskforce that would arise to the challenge? Many of them showed a wide range of emotions when discussing the idea amongst each other.

Many of the personnel came to acknowledge the idea, especially on the side of the table facing the windows. The other side had the elder male human showing an expression of caution towards his comrades.

"Are you sure that he'll be up for this task?" he asked to the green toad/fly hybrid. "Whatever happens, this must be the first time that this city has faced a turmoil since the boom in off-screen deaths and early retirements."

"Oh, come on, Snake", the creature replied back in a laid-back tone. "Wipe that concerned face upside down! I know for sure that the chances of surviving this are as likely as Rayman picking a fight with Senators Aran and Croft with his hands being placed in the fridge!" he concluded while pointing towards the two females at the other side of the table.

Snake leant closer towards the creature. "Your confidence can be worth something Murfy, but I'm not too sure about this."

"Neither am I."

All heads turned further up the table, where Cortex was seen leering at everyone. He then turned back towards the double doors and made his walk through them, pushing them open with his hands in the procedure.

"Senator Neo Cortex, get back here!" commanded the King.

But he didn't listen. A few seconds later, the double doors were left to close behind him, leaving him to walk along the corridors alone. His footsteps among the checkered tiles below him were only just audible.

His facial expression started to show a mixture of both panic and anger. By that, he made a sudden stop, took a hold of a bluebell in its plant pot with others, rolled it up into a ball and threw it straight towards the door. It struck the door, bouncing of it and sliding among the tiles, remaining still a few inches from the entrance.

"Those guys just don't know what they're dealing with", he then scowled with a whisper. "I'm surprised Ariel even hired them. But why?"

His glare was fixed at the door for five further seconds, trying to find time for an answer to that problem. Looking among the doorknobs and then the rolled up bluebell, he started to show feelings of tension to match his expression when finding out about Ariel's disappearance.

With a sigh, he walked down the hallway, away from the conference room. The decisions of the senate remained in his head, no matter how much of a rough memory it would even become for him.

Thinking back about the letter Ariel left behind, what kind of threat would want to attack him anyway? Surely it would sound more serious than to just assign a search team to locate him? The more he continued to think about it, the more he came to believe that he would provide a better solution than what was provided by Senator Hare, or so he thought.

* * *

Back in the forests, the depths of the tunnels started to lighten up as the journey continued. Fletch brought a hand forward and pulled through more branches, almost breaking them off from their respective trees.

Eventually, he managed to free himself from the thicket and made his way to a clearer path. All the trees that were from that point on were really thin. Had it not been for their bronze-brown colored bark, they could have been mistaken as rubber trees or bamboo shoots.

"Akumi!" Fletch continued to cry out. "Akumi, where are you?"

He then made a steady walk through the trees, seeing himself going through a more colorful patch of the forest than before. He noted beneath his feet that there were fewer flowers and more grounds of fresh earth in their place.

**A Presentation**

The winds around him continued to pick up as he went further down the path, blowing his clothing into multiple directions. The temperatures that followed on lead him to rub his arms, in an attempt to get some more heat circulating through his body.

"Akumi!" he cried out more desperately.

He walked even further and found his way to a tight corner in the thicket of the forest. All that led off from that direction was a turn-off to the left, in which he made almost hesitantly, quivering his feet as he proceeded.

The quietness of the forest was slowly being altered. It sounded like there were gale force winds to be blown but all that was felt was merely a gentle breeze. His eyes blinked as he went further towards the sound source.

A crossover fiction written by Bev Wooff ("Rexy")

"Whoa…!" he gasped to himself as the sound source came to his vision.

In front of him was exposure of a stone building. Taking a side step to his right, he managed to get a clearer view. On initial impressions, it would look like the ruins of an abbey if approached on that side.

He walked even further and got a closer view. Only this time, it stood to be multiple floors tall and had a brown wooden roof applied to the top. There were windows placed around it as well as a polished door covered in copper paint. It was actually a detached house.

Fletch then went around to the door wanting to see it, but as he got round to the front, he was caught attention by the rest of his surroundings. He was in an entire suburban street; everything seemed to feel really normal, only that the road felt too bumpy to consider the use of transport.

**THE THEOROPOLIS SAGA**

"What is this place?" he then whispered as quietly as a mouse.

He showed an expression of confusion as he looked at his surroundings. It felt modern, yet underdeveloped. He continued to make his way down the street, hoping to see more of what there was on offer.

There, he saw hills to the north, where a single building stood still surrounded by mountains. The left hand side of the horizon showed a castle of sorts and the right showed a distant ruin that actually _looked _like a ruin.

The roads around him started to look more polished, gradually turning from bumpy to smooth. There was still no sign of any transport, and whether the location would utilize any would remain to be seen.

Cautiously, he made his way through the streets, continuing to search for his sister. Though he continued further more cautiously than he did in the woods, the foreign environment would leave him to start thinking to himself whether he would make his arrival here would be a good idea.

* * *

The building on the top of the hill remained still and cautious. But around the back of it, footsteps were heard in an almost thunderous fashion – loud enough to be heard, but too weak to come from a tyrant.

Inside the building, boots among checkered tiles were the one sound that was heard among one of the more distant corridors. Senator Cortex was seen making his march from corridor to corridor, his hands clutched tighter than a Chinese finger trap.

Two more doors were pushed open by his own hands, leaving him into yet another corridor. Unlike the others, there were pictures of himself being placed upon the walls, and the door at the end showed a painted wumpa fruit with a giant green N symbol on top of it.

"This can NOT be happening to me!" he exclaimed with rage.

Upon reaching the door, he brought his head forward to push it open, shoving through it almost instantly. And from there, he was welcomed into a dead end – a large and spacious circular room all to himself.

The checkered tiles remained there, but the décor looked more blue than the usual. A red poster bed was placed 45 degrees to his right as well as a window almost at a right angle to it towards its left. A desk covered in papers and stationery was placed underneath it.

"Now look at what the Senate are trying to pull", he shouted as he made his way over to his desk. "They're going to hire someone to help them track down the Emperor! What kind of a solution is that?"

"Perhaps I can help you."

Cortex's eyes blinked as he heard the dark shady voice. He turned towards the door, and right there, he saw a short figure. As he came into the light he was shown to be an orange ogre-like monster with two fingers and a thumb on each hand. A single horn was on his head, highlighted with envy green eyes. The colors of purple and white graced his tunic, further emphasizing that he could be a sorcerer.

"Ripto?" Cortex asked, guessing the guest's identity. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard that you had problems of your own", he started in a more consistent higher pitched tone, "so I was told by an associate to come and help you out."

Ripto made his walk into the room, taking great strides for such a short figure. A burning look of determination was settled into his eyes, fuelling just as equally among the actions provided by most of his other significant body parts.

It wasn't long until he actually came towards Cortex. And once he did, he climbed up onto the desk, sending various pencils and papers onto the floor in the process, much to the Senator's annoyance.

"Besides", Ripto proclaimed as he stood up firmly, "there's only one thing we can do at a time like this, isn't it?"

Cortex was left in a thinking stance for a few seconds. His visions went back towards the letter and the general assumptions left behind by the rest of the Senate. And eventually, everything became clear to him.

"I think you're right", he smiled back.

Snapping his glove-covered fingers, he made his walk to the center of the room, looking on at more of the décor that made the room – mainly stone statues of various mutated animals, from a muscular Tasmanian tiger to a dingo-crocodile hybrid creature.

"If we work hard enough, we'll use some of your associates to overthrow the Emperor", he cackled to Ripto. "Then, if the Senate's vote works out well, I will be able to rule over Theoropolis for sure!"

"Bravo indeed!" Ripto applauded. "But, how are we going to accomplish this?"

Ripto jumped off the desk and started walking towards Cortex for himself. As soon as he made his stop, the Senator pointed his right hand straight towards the door that they both just came through.

"Ripto, scout the surface for people for people willing to take up the task", commanded Cortex. "I have big plans for Ariel himself."

"Oh, I already did that, but we can do with an outside source to make us accomplish this goal."

Cortex froze in his tracks. An "outside source"? That comment left him puzzled for a few seconds, before he suddenly brought his face into one of those "now I understand" style of facial expressions.

In that time, Ripto searched through the drawers beneath the desk and pulled out a pair of binoculars; he then climbed up and used them out of the window, scanning around the area. Zooming in on an area near the South was something that caught his eye.

"I think we've found it", he cackled silently.

Right in the patch that he was analyzing was a set of footprints within the damaged road. They looked freshly developed, with upturned earth surrounding some of which in particular. This left him to smile upon the sight of it.

Above the rooftop, however, stood another shadow watching over the scene. Its shape was hard to be defined among the many stone pillars that surrounded it, but all that could be distinguished was a large red eye, almost like a cat's eye in shape.

Seeing it, it then turned away and jumped off the roof on its own accord. Down below, Ripto also made his departure from Cortex's quarters. The Senator himself knew for sure that a plan was at hand, and the city will be sent for a wild venture to call its own.

_-End of prologue-_


	2. The Duck and the Key Bearer

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Okay, thank you very much for the very powerful response, you are such a wonderful audience. --;;

No, seriously. I've slaved on this fanfic for nearly six months and have been tweaking it so much and preparing it in its uploading procedures. I surely need the feedback in return.

Usually if I get any reviews, I would respond to them in here and answer any questions, whether it be about the character choices, inspirations on the few original characters in here, any future projects I might have in the works... anything that comes up in the review threads. So please, if you want me to feel more chirpy as this fic goes on, please respond back.

Thanks again, and hopefully by next Monday (which I should do unless the review drought is anything to go by), I should have the next part down. I really hope we get some actual feedback this time.

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_My hometown was the most powerful thing that would reside in my childhood. But at the same time, so would be that of my own family._

_I lived with only my mother and my eldest sister. They are both some of the nicest people that I came to know, which is strange considering they're both women!_

_My sister Akumi seemed to feel really strange as I saw her grow up with me. She showed herself as normally as possible, doing lots of artistic stuff and having this fascination with gooses. But she seemed to write letters to a person that I didn't get to know. I was wishing on the brink that one day I would be told that she would tell me who they are._

_I didn't even get to know my father. I was told that I didn't have one, but that seems impossible because of the procedure it takes to bring a child into the world, whether it be me OR Akumi.  
_

_I used to think so much of my sister. Did she somehow know my father behind my back? Or was it something that I still needed to know about?_

* * *

Day 1

_Rosemary Field District - 1:15PM_

As the sun reached its position in the midday skies, the temperature started to feel much warmer around the streets of the district. Yet in spite of that, it looked as barren as a desert.

Fletch continued to make his walk throughout. Though he came in the city confident enough to track down Akumi, his expression started to show some deep concern upon him as he walked even further.

He looked further around the streets – two dead ends were at the crossroads he managed to stand at. Then he saw towards his left there was a large clearing, with a large building with unlit neon lights placed onto it.

He then made his walk to it, wondering what could even be placed out there. Steadily and cautiously, he made his way towards the building, wanting to see what was placed inside it.

Not too far from him though sat a figure in a distant building. No one can make out any details upon it, but its shadow suggested that it looked like a kemonobito – an anthro attributed with kemono design influences.

It looked towards the left, and there, there was a black telephone with a circular dial placed onto it. It took a hold of the receiver and dialled a number, soon before placing it next to its ear.

The phone signal made its way across many buildings, going across the giant phone cables that soared above that part of the city. The signal then made its way towards a building near a large square.

Inside the building was what looked like a café of sorts. Clean tables graced the setting, as did a large bar with many cakes being placed inside it. Dim lights shone down upon the wooden floor.

A pink flower-themed telephone rang, and it continued for a further two seconds until a small orange hand with thin fingers picked it up from its position and placed it to the receiver's ear.

"Rosemary Field Diner, how may I help you?" she spoke with a cute preteen-like voice.

The figure waited patiently for an answer, yet what she managed to hear were some buttons being pressed down the phone. And by that, her giant emerald green eyes widened at the response.

"Wait, it's you!"

"Listen Coco", the figure spoke down the phone with a mature male voice. "The city's faced a problem of its own and we're on hand to sort it out."

"I already had enough of a problem with Crash disappearing last week", she replied back with some stress in her voice tone. "Can you give me time to sort out my own problems?"

"Seriously, your brother's disappearance may be connected to this. From what I heard from the Senate, Emperor Ariel has left the throne to look into this mess, and we need to track him down and give him a hand. That way, we'll bring your brother back into your possession."

Coco listened carefully at the voice. As she took in the words, she looked at her own confused expression in a nearby mirror. Orange fur covered her body aside from a peach skin path forming her muzzle, and to match her eyes were long blonde hair with a blue flower placed in it. A lavender apron covered her white t-shirt and denim pants.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" she asked the figure on the other end of the receiver.

"Look out of your nearest window."

She made a walk to the front of the building and took a hold of a periscope nearby. She then opened that window and placed the periscope through it, taking a view down the street. And there, she saw Fletch making his walk up towards the scene.

"A boy from the outside world?" she gasped in awe. "How can it be?"

Quickly, she placed the periscope back where it was and closed the window, to the point where only a centimetre separated it from being closed off entirely. She rushed straight back to the phone and placed the receiver against her ears.

"But I thought Ariel was the only outsider that we were able to welcome into this world."

"Maybe so", started the male receiver, "but he could be the key to retracing Ariel and restoring the city's order. Whatever you do, if he comes into your place, make him feel welcome."

"And what if he doesn't?"

"He'll come in sooner or later. Rosemary Field doesn't have much in terms of inns and cafés."

Those words remained firmly within her head. She thought carefully about the commentary, and then knew for sure that his words were to be taken on board. She smiled and sat down on a nearby stool.

"I trust you. Thanks."

And as graciously as a flower, she placed the phone receiver back where she found it. All that she could do for now was wait for the possibility of the boy's arrival inside the premises.

She looked all around her – not the best developed of cafés, but she knew that she managed to make a great home out of it. The colour scheme of mainly yellows and greens showed how rough it looked when it came to its presentation.

Showing a more reflective stance, she brought her eyes towards a wall in particular, where a photo frame hung above a wall. It showed herself and another figure – a creature that was just like her, but was male, had small tufts of red hair in a small mohican, a longer nose and bushy eyebrows, and only wore a pair of jeans with giant burgundy shoes and brown fingerless gloves.

She walked up to the photo and outstretched her hand towards it. To think that the figure standing with her in the photo was something that felt so dear for her, yet so out of reach at the same time…

But her actions seized as soon as the door was knocked upon. Her eyes widening, she quickly made a run behind the counter and waited right there. The door then made its gradual opening.

Fletch made his arrival and slowly closed the door behind him. He walked through the empty tables and walked towards Coco – to him, the first person he could have seen since entering the city.

"May I take your order?" she asked happily.

The glance of Coco's face left Fletch to suddenly stop in his tracks. It was almost as if he didn't see anything like it before – an empty café, being ran by a different kind of human-like identity.

"What are you staring at?" Coco asked him.

"You look a little bit weird, but I'll ask you anyway", replied Fletch cautiously. "Have you seen two people, about my size, a guy in a purple jacket and a girl with giant ginger pigtails?"

Coco's eyes widened. "You haven't seen a bandicoot before?"

Fletch remained puzzled. That's what that creature is in front of me, he thought. Even after that, his hands continue to twitch with thought, until he lowered his head as he made his next response.

"I don't think so, but seriously, have you seen my friends? I've lost them and I'm trying to find them."

"I'm sorry, but I haven't", Coco replied while imitating Fletch's actions.

Feeling even more cautious, she made her walk around the other side of the counter, leaning one of her arms against it as she did so. Once that was done, she turned back towards Fletch.

"To be frank, this city's been a little out of hand over the past week or so.

"City?" Fletch responded with curiosity. "More importantly, why?"

"I ran this business with my brother, who can spin some of the widest cakes and flapjacks you would ever see", she replied while looking back at the framed photo on the wall. "But he just vanished while shopping one day last week."

Coco started to show more anguish to the general ordeal, while Fletch showed a more puzzled expression than before. There shouldn't have been a city in that direction for miles, he thought to himself.

"And now, I've just been told that the Emperor that looks over our City is on an excursion of its own. I'm feeling unsure about th-"

"That's ok", Fletch quickly responded. "I'm pretty sure the city of… um…"

"Theoropolis", Coco said and filled the gap.

"Yeah, Tee-oh-whatever-it-is will be able to look after itself", Fletch replied looking more puzzled. "Don't look so concerned."

He placed his own hand upon Coco's shoulder. By that, she reacted by bringing her arms down to her side and turning towards Fletch, her long blonde hair moving gracefully along her back.

"I suppose you're right", she whispered back.

She then managed to walk her way back to the counter, Fletch's hand sliding down to his side as that happened. He walked his way straight towards the other side of the counter, sitting on a cushioned bar stool as soon as he got there.

"About your friends though", Coco proceeded in asking. "Are you saying they came into this city?"

Fletch nodded semi-enthusiastically. "I'm sure of it. We got lost in a forest not far from here, and I just want to be able to reunite with them and go home."

"I see."

She made her walk away from the counter and towards a small building in the back – a small storeroom with many mirrors placed around the corners of the room. Inside the room itself were two human males – one with black hair wearing a black waistcoat over his white t-shirt, and another with blonde hair wearing mainly denim. Both were seen playing with electric guitars with a decaying drum machine located right behind them.

"Bill! Ted!" Coco commanded the two males.

"'Sup?" they saluted simultaneously.

"Have you seen two kids like him?" she asked, pointing towards Fletch, whom just arrived and stood next to her.

"I dunno, we're spending so much time trying to get the Wild Stallyns back together", shrugged the blonde male.

"Hang in there, Bill", gestured the black haired male – presumably Ted – while placing his hand upon his partner's shoulder. "I thought I saw something head north of this area, if not surfin' to the White Dragonfly District."

"How can you see anything while jammin' out?"

"Coco's mirrors tell us everything."

"Excellent!" they both cried out in unison.

At that cry, they took a hold of their guitars and both performed clashing guitar licks that started to fuzz the room. Fletch's nose started to twitch to the point that he made a run out of the room and towards an empty table, with Coco merely steadily walking towards him.

"I suppose I take their word for it?" asked Fletch with an awkward look.

"Don't worry about them. They're both really nice and honest guys, just that rock music always gets to their head first."

Coco closed her eyes tightly and shook her head as she walked her way straight back to the counter. This time, she opened a hatch and brought out a plastic bag containing six small cake-like items, though they were in reality quick breads sandwiched with peanut butter, each of which no bigger than her hand.

"For being here, I'll give you some of my homemade biscuits for your journey", she smiled as she passed the bag to him. "Use them well."

She went around the other side of the counter and picked up a small red rucksack with the image of a prawn on its main flap. The bag was placed inside, and she gave the contents to Fletch to carry.

"Thanks", he smiled with gratitude. "You're a nice girl."

"No problem, and I wish you the best of luck. I'm Coco."

"Hi. I'm Fletch."

They both extended their hands and faced a handshake. Coco's skin felt so soft and smooth according to Fletch's facial expression, which his grin ended up becoming wide enough to go from one ear to another.

Soon enough, it was time for him to make his exit. He took a hold on the bag, and made a slight walk out of the room, wanting to see what was out there in the big wide world that would follow.

But most importantly, his sister was the one figure to get back, though what if Han got _himself_ lost? Or even worse, what if he found her and went home? Either way, as far as Fletch was concerned, there was no turning back.

* * *

Fletch walked straight out of the doors of the diner, and looked around. To his right were the road he just came down – the same empty narrow street that he came through from the beginning of his journey in this part of the city.

With a more curious expression, he made his walk towards a city square that was located to the left. This time, the dirt upon the feet started to turn more into tarmac, giving in a more solid footing upon the ground.

He looked around the scenery, and saw many tall buildings around him. Two water fountains resided in the middle of the square, and a small set of stairs leading to another street was seen right at the other side.

Just as when he was about to make his walk straight towards the stairs, something started to emerge from one of the fountains. There was a hooded face, wearing a purple cloak all around itself. It jumped out, completely drenched.

To follow on from it came five others – one from a streetlamp in a distant corner, another from behind a post box, another from the inside of a trash can, another one jumping down from the rooftops and a final one from behind a nearby statue of a giant dragonfly.

All six personnel gathered together and started walking steadily towards Fletch, their hands almost outstretching and their cloaks mainly waving about in the wind, with the exception of the wet personnel whose cloak just remained hanging down with the force of the water soaking inside it.

"Who are you guys?" Fletch asked with a fearful expression.

"You are our worst nightmare", spoke one figure with a deep and booming voice.

"We think you will only spread chaos to our very actions", another one spoke with a quicker voice tone.

Fletch continued to take his steps back as they continued to edge towards him. Without much caution, he ended up almost tripping over a step as he did so. Just as when he was settled once more, one of the cloaked strangers generated fire from the palms of their hands.

"Oh lord, this seems really cliché", he muttered to himself.

"Silence, youngster!" the fire wielder spoke with a strong young adult tone.

The fire-wielding voice brought back the flame from its wrist, and then unleashed it straight towards Fletch, whom started to scream and take a further step back, leaving it to strike the ground with a boom of smoke.

The entire cloaked gang took a further step forward, with their hands starting to form further claw formations, leaving him to cower so much more than the usual. Then, they came to a stop.

By that time, Fletch was a few inches between them and a pipe that ran up the side of one house. That left him to show a more worried expression than he did upon the entry of the area.

"What do you want with me?" he cried out to them. "I'm only trying to find my friend and my sister!"

"You will only bring pain and chaos to this world if you keep doing what you're doing", spoke a female voice from the crowd.

The figure then managed to step forward, its feminine posture being sharply maintained. She then brought her hands together, generating a small light-sabre like weapon upon her own hands.

"Help me!" Fletch squealed out more on the sight of the sabre.

Upon the sight of it, he took a hold of the sewer pipe, ready to unleash the full scale of the female's attack. She came running closer and closer towards him, his eyes continuing to quiver at her approach.

The sword was sent towards him, which he then jumped out at the last minute, causing the pipe to split and the gutter to collapse in pieces among the floor, almost striking the feet of the cloaked personnel.

"Only our leader has the brains to govern the city as it is, yo!" followed a sixth cloaked entity, this time speaking with what sounded like a Caribbean accent.

The sixth figure managed to come closer, spinning around in multiple circles towards Fletch, whom once again managed to step out of the way towards a trashcan. That left his opponent to crash into a wall, losing his senses for about two seconds.

Fletch looked behind him, wanting to continue further, but alas, he was trapped with a house's wall being an inch behind him. The figures continued to walk closer and closer to him, each showcasing either their claw-like hands or their means of attacking him.

He felt hopeless as he then knew that his time was to be up completely. All this was without the chance of seeing Han or Akumi ever again. Those bitter feelings remained in him as he embraced the attack that would bring about his death.

"Leave the kid alone!"

A young teenage voice was heard from the other side of the square. Fletch tried to look over the side, but the cloaked personnel blocked his view entirely. They in turn turned around to see what was there.

One by one, they started doing a combination of wide-eyed stares, pats on each other's shoulders, trembling of limbs and pointing towards their new opponents. It was there that Fletch would take the opportunity.

Unable to make his way past the others, he could only just attempt to see the figure from ahead. Yet he too was obscured by a shadow, but was defined by spiked hair. Several other odd-shaped shadows also came from behind him.

"Oh no, it's them!" shouted one of the shorter cloaked personnel.

The female one took their hand and ran ahead. "Let's not run, let's take care of them!"

And thus, they both ran forward, making their assault towards the personnel. As many of the shadows started fighting off their varied attacks with great speed upon them, a figure started to make its run from the pack and towards the four others, charging head first.

As he came into the light, his identity was revealed – a white duck figure that was only just bigger than Fletch, wearing a large detective-based hat on his head and purple tunic including a mask around his eyes and a small polished coat around his torso.

As he managed to slide right underneath the legs of one of the cloaked strangers, he managed to cast his eyes upon Fletch, cowering in the corner, curious over what was going on ahead.

"What is this?" he asked the duck while continuing to look around from his own position.

"You don't stay around here either", he spoke with a voice that sounded like a superhero's tone blended in with a mafia agent. "We need to get you out of this mess!"

He took a hold of Fletch's hands with one of his own feather ones. And thus, they both crawled under one of the cloaked entities' legs again, leaving it to show a moderately confused expression.

As that happened, the female entity managed to make her chase towards Fletch and the duck as they went further and further away from the dark corners of the square. Then, they made their way towards an alleyway in the west of the area.

"This way!" guided the duck.

The duck continued to tow Fletch as he made his way into the back alley. And right there, he placed him right next to a drainpipe and guarded him right there, covering him with his cloak.

Looking on at the square ahead, he saw many of the cloaked personnel wondering around one another, concerned about what might have happened nearby. Some of which ended up pushing one another aside, trying to make failed communication after failed communication.

At one particular corner came a taller cloaked personnel, and it made its run towards the female one. They both made a stop at a distant corner, the male taking his partner by the neck.

"Where's the boy?" he asked with a vicious tone.

"I think we lost him, sir!"

With that, he immediately took out a gun from the back of his cloak – a laser gun to be more precise. That caused the female to almost flinch, running her way around the building, looking for any trace of Fletch.

Just as when she was about to make her way to the westward back alley, she was immediately stopped by a shadow flying above her. She looked above, and there soared a winged creature.

"You're not getting away from me!"

The female started to scream as she ran from the flying entity – a purple dragon, with traces of gold and burgundy around certain parts of his body. He landed on the floor and breathed a stream of fire towards her, catching her cloak in a blaze.

That left another entity to make his way towards the dragon, generating fire upon his hands. He attempted to throw them onto the dragon, but he rolled to the side before tail whipping the enemy, sending him into the air.

He jumped up multiple times in the air, continuing to strike the figure with his tail and head multiple times, before slamming him down like a basketball. The dragon then looked over the knocked out body, smirking with delight.

"You've just had your last bow!"

The dragon turned to the direction of the voice, where he saw another of the cloaked males getting chased by another figure within the shadowed party – a golden kitsune fox, wearing a red waistcoat over an assortment of red, white and green clothing that acted almost like armor all around his body.

They both jumped over the figure that the dragon knocked down and continued their run, making their way towards the entrance that Fletch initially came from. The male then retaliated by bringing out another laser gun upon him.

Both the figure and the fox were engaged in a continuous laser fight, jumping up and down behind boxes and other assorted items around the square, trying to dodge from each other's attacks.

It wasn't until one incident, where the fox managed to jump his way towards a small roof of a building and climbed straight up to the rooftops that he started to show a keener sense of determination.

One laser was triggered, and at the sight of it, his enemy ducked, leaving it to depart from the ground and end up striking multiple streetlamps before finally getting him straight on the rebound.

With a sense of victory, he jumped straight down to the ground, looking down to see the identity of the cloaked personnel. But before it could even happen, a sudden warmth started to creep down his spine.

"You can't escape me!"

The fox looked to his left and saw another figure making a run – a female lavender cat wearing dominantly purple and white clothing, with glowing gold eyes upon her. Fireballs were being controlled among her hands.

Ahead of her were the remaining three members of the cloaked troupe. All three were seen making their run from one another, with one of them being brave enough to even consider using a laser to try and make her stagger back.

And then, she rolled two fireballs among the ground, making their way straight towards the trio. Upon impact, they were sent several feet into the air, being placed back in the corner where the other three injured personnel remained.

"We've got them cornered! Let's finish them off!"

That voice came from another figure that came from the darkness – the spiked haired boy from before. Yet this time, his colors showed him in a highly detailed coat and tunic, almost dominantly black in color with tints of yellow, red and blue in some areas of his clothes. His hair was of a brown color with blue eyes to contrast.

He made his way towards the pile of enemies with what looked like a giant steel key in his hand. His pace soon went into a run, wanting to immediately make his strike towards the remaining personnel.

One of which managed to stand up from the heap, and right there and then a silent incarnation was spoken of, causing the group to be surrounded with faint black flames all around them.

The strength of the flames caused the male figure to suddenly retreat, blocking the flame strength with one of his arms. It then died down, leaving him to see what was behind the flame itself.

Indeed, there was nothing. Looking around the area, it looked as if there wasn't a fight that went on. The teenaged key bearer looked towards his partners, all sharing equally confusing glances.

They then looked towards the western alley once more, where they managed to see the duck make his way straight out and towards the square once more. Shocked to see the emptiness of the square, he made his walk towards the others with a questionable look.

"Sheesh, they had to escape like that?" the duck asked the others.

The young key bearer placed one of his hands upon the duck, looking down at him. "It's okay Darkwing. We'll try again another time."

The duck looked up, showing deep concern for the gang around him. It was almost to them that the purple cloaked personnel were up to something. What they would do would be anyone's guess.

Darkwing, the white duck in the odd pseudo-detective getup, made his walk towards the western alley. And right there, the other personnel managed to follow his footsteps right over there.

"Is the boy okay?" the fox asked him.

Darkwing was too focused upon the back alley to make his full answer. Yet as they stepped inside, they managed to witness Fletch at the other side, lying on his stomach without much signs of motion aside from breathing.

The duck made his way towards him and pulled him straight towards the light of the square. They looked down at his expression, and they saw that by the sign of his unconscious body, the sight of the purple monsters might have been too much for him.

"He seems a little out of it for the moment", the cat muttered with concern.

"Still I'm sure that he holds the key to getting Ariel back", replied the fox while folding his shoulders. "But looking at his experience, this must be tougher than I thought."

He looked down at him with a shady expression creeping around him. He looked so peaceful, yet so fragile, according to him. He then looked towards his cohorts one by one, and then made an action plan.

"Sora and Blaze, you can carry the boy. Spyro and Darkwing, you can come with me."

The order was given, and then, both the key bearer and the lavender cat were left to carry the boy together. They both carried opposide sides of his torso, leaving him in a comfortable place to rest upon as they left the square.

The dragon and the duck were left to escort the fox as they too made their departure. As they both looked back at the boy, they couldn't help but feel sorry for him, being a victim to fall under the wrath of the cloaked rebels.

Yet they knew that event was all in the past. What to do with the boy next and what his intensions are could be just about anyone's guess to many of the personnel in this new environment. And whether it would be a good thing or a bad thing remained to be seen among the boy in particular.

* * *

Back at the Senatorial Housing, the building continued to stand as silently as it was, with its shadow starting to gradually make its increase now that the midday sun came and vanished.

Inside the building itself, Ripto was seen making a walk through the buildings, keeping hiding among the walls using his cloak to conceal his own identity. It wasn't long until he managed to reach the corridor that led to Cortex's quarters.

With steady pacing he made his way towards the large double doors at the end of the hallway. He then took a hold of the handles, and pushed the doors open, only to be greeted with the face of the senator himself.

"Ripto, what brings you back here so soon?"

He looked towards his eyes, many of his facial features getting obscured by means of sunlight from the room merely forming more of a silhouette of his body rather than displaying it in full color.

With panic, Ripto ended up getting down onto his hands and knees, before looking up at the senator with his eyes looking more and more envious than before. It wasn't long until he took one small crawl towards Cortex before speaking again.

"We tried to capture the boy, but we didn't quite make it."

Cortex's eyes widened. "Capture?"

Ripto once again looked up at Cortex, showing a wide-eyed expression on him. What did I do wrong, he thought quietly to himself before getting pulled off the floor on his back, back to his own standing position.

"You don't understand how to treat the newcomers to the city, don't you?" Cortex asked menacingly.

"Well, that's what my fellow Riptocs have done in the past, haven't they?"

Cortex gave off an annoyed grunt and released his grip on Ripto before forcing him back down to his hands-and-knees position. He then marched straight towards the desk in the middle of the room, shaking his hands in fury.

"You're just meant to go up to them and give them a handshake!" he further exclaimed. "Sheesh, what is it with you and monsters today?"

With his fists clutching even tighter over time and his teeth starting to clench together, he leered over at Ripto with that remark, whom in turn ended up showing a defeated expression back.

By the time Cortex ended up reaching the desk, he ended up making a sudden stop in his tracks. The window view above showed a plain view over the city, yet there was something that felt different.

"Hold on a second", he muttered as he climbed onto the desk.

Looking out from the window, he managed to see a clearer view of the city. And it was there that there was something on the lower level that made him start to twitch in the fingers.

"I think we have another chance at our heels", he spoke with a smirk.

He took a hold of a set of binoculars – the same one that was used earlier to find the trail of footprints into the city – and looked through them. And through his viewpoint, something suspicious crept up.

"I see multiple sets of unusual footprints at the town's gate. Something suspicious is going on."

Through his viewpoint was the same spot that he looked at last time, where only one set of footprints were made out. Now it seemed like there were three at once followed by some faint pebble-sized marks in the ground.

It was there that Cortex knew that something else could even be done. He then put the binoculars down and looked on towards the window view, before making his jump back down to the floor.

"Ripto, I demand that you investigate the situation and come back when you're-"

Cortex turned around as he spoke, yet upon doing so, he saw no one in the room other than himself. Confused over his whereabouts, he remained in position, starring at empty space for five seconds before continuing again.

"-ready?"

"I'm already on it!"

Cortex focused his attention to the right, where he ended up seeing his doors once again wide open. Looking further down it, he saw Ripto running off into the distance, before jumping out of a window partway down.

He then turned towards the window once more, his reflection getting seen among the window glazing. And it could clearly be seen that he is destined to make a change to the city.

With Ripto already going out to investigate the remaining newcomers into the city, he knew for sure that there was more of a chance to carry out their plan than ever. Yet, the actual procedure is something that would remain inside his giant head for now.

* * *

"Are you okay, young man? Please tell me that you are."

Darkness was seen around Fletch's viewpoint. Eventually, the voice managed to come through to his senses, leading him to steadily see light once more, though taking more form of blurred shapes if anything.

Eventually, focus was slowly regained, and standing right in front of him was the lavender cat. Concerned at his actions, she sat down on a nearby stool and placed her hand towards his forehead.

She came to the point of wanting to lift up the mass of fringe that covered his left eye, concerned that that might have been involved in the fight. But yet, she almost retreated at the sign of what was underneath.

"Please tell me that you're alright", she started speaking shakily towards him.

Fletch eventually leaned up from his position, and from where he lied down, he saw that he was on a small foam mattress. A small rug for a blanket was placed over his body from the chest down.

Confused over what happened, all he could do was look on at the purple cat and wonder what he did to get where he was. A small tear was almost being forced from his one remaining eye.

"Everything's okay", the cat spoke while calming him down. "I know that things got rough out there, but we did everything we can to help you out."

There, she brought out her arms, and right there she took the boy into her own arms. They were brought into a small reassuring hug, leaving the boy to feel more comfortable in the new environment.

"Who are you?" he gathered the strength to ask in a weak whisper. "And do you know my friend and sister?"

"Your what?"

The cat looked on at Fletch with a confused look upon her face, all before releasing her grip and looking back at his worrisome expression once more. She placed her hand upon her head, at the same time picking up a small blue hat lying on the floor.

"I don't know who you're talking about, but I must admit that you were in a close call back there. We're lucky we got you out of there alive."

As the hat was placed upon his head, those thoughts of Fletch's previous encounter with the purple cloaked squadron remained in his mind. He should have been lucky – had it not been for the cat and her partners, he would have been completely ambushed and robbed of everything he had, including his life.

"I'm Blaze", the cat introduced confidently. "Nice to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Fletch", the boy replied back almost shyly.

Blaze looked towards Fletch's hand, and it seemed to be trembling. It could take a while for the trauma to escape his head, she thought. By that, she placed her hand upon his and held it there until the vibrations stopped.

As that happened, she heard footsteps from the corridor outside the room they were in. She turned to the door and saw the fox that accompanied her making an appearance, stopping to see her on the way down.

"He's coming to, Fox!"

"Sounds good", he replied back to her. "I'll see if I can take over from here."

The fox made his way into the room, walking calmly with a neutral looking expression upon his face. Fletch looked upon him and wondered what he would want with a small boy like himself.

"Sora, Darkwing, come with me", the fox commanded near the door.

Near the door came two more figures, those being the teenaged key bearer from the fight before, as well as the duck that managed to save him and place him within the back alley. The horrors of the fight were still fixed within his own mind, even through seeing his own saviors.

Blaze departed from the room, her purple cloak trailing among her back as she did so. Then, the three of them sat together, with the fox sitting in the stool that Blaze once sat on, with Sora and Darkwing taking residences in two stools behind him.

Fletch picked up the courage to speak more thoroughly. "Excuse me sir-"

"Sir?" smiled the fox. "My name's Fox McCloud, not this 'sir' you speak of."

"Look, I don't know where I am or what I am even doing here", Fletch replied with a quivering lip. "I lost my best friend and my sister at a picnic at a forest not far from here. I don't even know where everyone is by now."

"I'm sure they'll be around somewhere."

Fletch looked out of the window, seeing a clear sky with birds sweeping around the part of town he was in. He then looked straight back towards Fox, wondering how he could even tackle the problem.

"I think this also connects to another problem we have had here in recent times", began Fox again. "The disappearance of Crash Bandicoot from the city, followed by an investigation set from our emperor Ariel."

"That baker lady told me about this", Fletch quietly replied back. "What's her name again…? Coco?"

The vision of the bandicoot from the diner was brought into his mind. The way he clicked with her came to the thought that he might not have seen someone kinder than her when it came to the aid she did on his first hour in the city.

He looked to his left, and saw his rucksack remain exactly as it was. And right there, he got up from his seat and opened it. The biscuits remained as they were, securely inside the plastic bag she placed them in.

"I know that you're a fair distance from home, and that your own colleagues have dispersed elsewhere", said Fox sympathetically. "But I am perfectly sure that they shouldn't have gone too far."

Fox went towards Fletch once more and placed a hand on his back, leaving him to feel more comfortable. Feeling a little weakened from the fight, he then proceeded to help Fletch open the bag of biscuits.

"If we need to get you back in touch with your friends", Fox said again with a more determined stance, "then we'll need to do everything we can."

A biscuit was then freed from the bag and sealed securely with a rubber band. With the thoughts in mind, Fletch brought it into his mind and consumed it in several chunks. Seeing Fletch starting to feel more comfortable, Fox made his gesture once more to him.

"I'm offering you to help our city out. You outsiders hold the key to its restoration."

Fletch suddenly spat out the remaining crumbs from the biscuit onto the floor. "Outsiders?"

"It's a long story, but I am sure that in the process you will be able to retrace your friends, whoever they are."

Fletch ended up using his hands to dust off whatever remaining crumbs ended up going down his shirt. Only when he looked back into Fox's serious-looking eyes was when he knew one thing – he may not even be going home for the evening.

Fox brought himself to his feet, being sure to keep his eyes fixed on Fletch, figuring out ways to keep him calm. Yet, still uncertain on how to tackle him, he looked behind him and commanded to the personnel that sat behind him.

"Darkwing! Sora!"

"Yes Fox!" the duck and the key bearer addressed in unison.

"I want you to continue tracking down the Emperor while we repair the City Tour Arwing. And take the boy with you."

Fletch gasped and covered under the rug that he initially brought himself upon, unsure that he would want to travel in a strange place when all he would care about is his friends.

As Fox and Sora attended to him, Darkwing looked out of the door, thinking carefully about the whole deal. Surely he would have the option on taking such a naïve boy throughout such a huge city?

"Darkwing!"

His eyes widened. He looked towards one side of the long dimly-lit corridor, and it was there that he saw the purple dragon racing up the corridor with what looked like an emerald held into his mouth.

As he came towards the duck, he skidded and placed the emerald onto the ground carefully. Darkwing showed an expression of confusion at the sight of the stone left near his feet.

"Before you go", started the dragon, "I have something to give to you to help you out, just to try and reach tougher areas of authority."

"I suppose it can get tough, Spyro", Darkwing replied with an anxious expression. "I haven't been in work for years!"

Darkwing looked towards the walls themselves, where he saw a TV set embedded within a picture frame, displaying himself appearing in a show, fighting off a wide assortment of criminals in his path.

It didn't take long for him to get back to reality, where he looked straight back at the stone that Spyro brought with him. By means of instinct, he picked it up and used his coat to polish it. It was when he looked around at one side in particular, where he saw what looked like a bird's crest with a very long neck, with small wings coming out from the both sides, with two parallel lines going beneath it representing its feet.

"This is Ariel's Emblem", Spyro gestured as he saw Darkwing's eyes focused upon it. "I was given this to explore everywhere in the city for some odd reason, but I didn't really need it. I think you would want it more than me."

Darkwing continued to look down at the stone. What would they want with such a large emerald with some kind of bird print painted onto it? With a light blink, he looked on at the dragon and gave a light smile towards him.

"Thank you. I'll think of you if I use this."

Still confused over the use of the gemstone as it was, he took a hold of it as he made his way down the corridor, towards a set of double doors. As that happened, both Fletch and Sora emerged from the recovery room, also heading in the same direction.

"I'm still unsure on what these guys want with me", Fletch spoke with lack of confidence, looking down to the ground. "I just want to find my friends and go home!"

Sora continued to reassure him by rubbing his hand up and down Fletch's back gently. "Don't worry about it. We'll just take things at a step at a time. You'll get used to this city."

All three of them soon reached the door, where Sora took a hold on the handles and opened them widely, re-exposing themselves to the light of day among the streets of the urban home once more.

Sora took his steps outside and greeted Fletch to the streets around him. "Welcome to Theoropolis. Enjoy your stay."

Fletch looked on at the area around him, seeing a busier metropolis than he encountered at the quiet city entrance. Various vehicles, from the anthropomorphic type all the way through to the fanciest fictional cars on television, graced the streets with varying degrees of citizens residing in them.

The streets were also covered in more fancy lighting, powered by what looked like small white firefly-like creatures. Even the building they emerged of also had some near the front, displaying a large sign of light saying "Blaze's Tailors", with a large pair of jeans being hung next to it.

Amazed by the lights of the city, they started to make their journey through it, wanting to see more than could be seen. Yet, deep down, Fletch would still seem so concerned over the placements of Han and Akumi.

Did he really deserve his placement in the city? Or was this for a different cause altogether? To him, it seemed that only Fox would know the answer, and how long he would become used to this place is something that has remained fixed among everyone's minds for time to come.

_-end of chapter-_


	3. There's No Place Like Club Ubi

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Wow, across here AND at Deviantart I seemed to get more responses than the prologue. Thanks this time around :)

I'm glad to see that the ideas are slowly getting appreciated by the community, and from the responses seen I hope to further boost things up well step by step. It should be fairly easy to go through some of this.

One of the most interesting questions I got was from SilverSister at Deviantart, whom seemed curious over the idea of Senator Cortex bossing Ripto around when given their attitudes in their respective game series (Crash Bandicoot/Spyro the Dragon), it should be the other way round. I already stated there that I would assume they would remain to have close links after the GBA collaboration efforts, which in there they ended up being just as aggressive to each other. And given that Cortex has a higher rank in the city than Ripto, I see it as a means of expressing a side to politics here. Never fear Ripto fans - he won't be a wuss all the way through, I assure you. ;)

Either way, it's time we got to chapter 2. In this one, we take our companions to the Red Globox District. That means relating a section of the city to a bunch of Ubisoft related videogames, in this case having links to Rayman, Beyond Good and Evil, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Of course, the introduction of Spider-Man isn't relating to Ubisoft, but his role is still very important. Still, whatever kind of trouble would emerge from that part of the city would remain to be seen.

I hope it goes down well, and have fun reading. Once again, feedback will be great.

Peace out,

-Rexy-

_

* * *

__Being in this house was hard enough as it is. Every birthday and Christmas, I was given a fair deal of what I managed to request._

_However, what I came to see is that almost every time this event happened for Akumi, she got everything she would have asked for and then some. I feel concerned if she seems a little spoilt._

_She even tells me now that she wants to run a Goose farm of her own when she's older, and mother is spending a lot of time saving up for that to help her out. Her continuous talking on that seemed to get more on my nerves than ever._

_Right then, I was a little bit concerned over what things are like for her. I just wished that things seemed a little bit more balanced between us._

_Little would I know is that I know that the reason would be nearer than I thought._

_

* * *

_

Day 1

_Red Globox District - 5:30PM_

Fletch, Sora and Darkwing all travelled up and down the White Dragonfly District for a set amount of time for the afternoon. Yet when they found out that they couldn't trace Ariel in such a small location, other measures were taken.

Darkwing looked down to the emblem that Spyro gave to him, and immediately ran towards a checkpoint located to the west of the district. Showing it to the guards immediately gave him access outside this area.

Even going through many of the southern districts of the town would consume too much time to track down an Emperor and some friends, but also there didn't seem to be enough time in the day to keep searching.

Eventually, they all stopped by a small tavern to a district to the west, where instead of firefly-like creatures being present to light lamps, there were small blue and pink frog-like creatures – young Globoxes – there on their duties dealing with all sorts of procedures, including newspaper deliveries, hot dog stands and market trading.

The atmosphere inside the building was a little dark, with lights only shining upon the bar area dimly. The tables were polished oak, circular in shape, placed in random locations all around the lower floor of the bar.

They all settled down with a lemonade glass each, looking almost worn out from all the travelling. It got to the extent where Fletch and Sora had their shoes off, placed underneath their chairs.

"I can't believe that finding my friends is harder than it seems", sighed Fletch. "What made this Fox guy think they'd be around here anyway?"

"To be honest", Sora replied, "we don't know. I think it's partially thanks to the opening of the city gate for much of this afternoon. I heard various citizens stating that a small animal pushed it open with both of its hands."

Fletch's eyes widened, amazed that a creature as big as his feet can push a large door open. "How can it do that?"

Darkwing shrugged towards the others. "Beats me, but things like that feel odd."

Fletch and Sora couldn't help but nod in agreement. As that happened, Darkwing took another swig from his lemonade glass, spilling a few drops down his coat, causing dark stains upon them.

"Besides", he started again while licking his beak, "I was told by Fox that multiple footprints were seen at the time of closing the gate, so they – I mean, possibly your friends - should be pretty much inside the city. They'll be around. How long it'll take for us to find them, we don't yet know."

Fletch looked on at Darkwing, showing a more hopeful expression than before. Multiple footprints at the gate meant that he could stand a very good chance of being able to see his companions in the flesh once more.

Fletch made a smile towards the duck. "If some procedure seems to be taken on all this, then this sounds good."

Smiling calmly, Fletch continued to consume his own lemonade, being sure to look back at all his companions as he did so. Feeling happier than he was upon entry, he started to feel the feelings of being reunited with friends.

As that happened, another figure walked past them, which Fletch managed to look towards – a human-like figure in some red and blue costume, with spider webs being drawn upon them cleanly. His face wasn't seen – only a mask that completely covered it, bearing two white eye-like visors to act as his means of vision.

He brought his way towards a bar, where standing there was a man that wore a pewter gray set of dungarees over a black t-shirt. His head would look bald in some lights, yet roughly shaved in others.

"I still can't believe you would want to sacrifice her to re-trace him!" shouted the bartender angrily.

"Hey, why are you looking at me like that?" the masked figure retaliated, pointing at the figure ahead of him. "I'm not the boss of Club Ubi! Whether your manager's missing or not, someone should still be able to make all the directions around here in his place."

"Excuse me, Mr. Parker? Who do you think you're talking to? All I do in this bar is pour drinks and serve to my counterparts! Thank God I'm still an active in the Imaginarium, otherwise I'm pretty much screwed for the rest of my life, just like her."

'Mr. Parker' sighed and folded his arms, leering at the bartender. "At least she's making big bucks from her photography."

"So?"

"It's a start. You should know well that your Splinter Cell roles wouldn't last forever, Sam."

Sam clinched his fists and slammed them hard upon the desk. "None of us would last forever, Spider-Man. But I'd rather enjoy my role for what it is rather than worry about what to do next. That would come after my final encounter with the outside world, whatever that would be."

Sam leered on at Spider-Man – the masked stranger – before steadily getting back to his own business, polishing various cups that were seen around him. With hesitance, his visitor leant forward towards him.

"I don't understand what you're thinking, but you can't keep Jade around if you don't want to", Spider-Man shouted to him. "I would sacrifice myself if it comes to this, Fischer!"

"You're out of luck", Sam scowled back. "Besides, you and I both know that only certain citizens can actually traverse certain parts of the city. She has no chance on searching beyond the district without guidance."

The conversations of both figures were seen through Sora's eyes, whom seemed to take great interest in the entire conversation. Seeing an additional concern added to the missing persons has shown that the city may be facing further perils than before.

Smiling, he turned back towards Fletch and Darkwing, the latter being halfway through a gulp and resulting in spilling the rest of his lemonade down his coat, completely drenching himself.

"I think we'll need to investigate on it", said Sora with a serious tone. "This could be helpful to us."

"But why?" Fletch asked back.

Darkwing placed his empty cup down and smiled. "A missing club manager could make a connection on those of Crash and Ariel. I'll see if I can take a closer look into this mess."

He then stood up and made his walk towards the other side of the room, where a long stairway was seen trailing up. Right next to it, he saw an additional room with a silhouette of a boy upon it.

"Don't move!" Darkwing commanded to Fletch and Sora. "You hide in the Little Boys' Room."

Sora's facial expression showed that Darkwing might have made a bad decision. "But-"

"Just stay where you are!"

And just like that he managed to make his trail towards the stairs, hiding himself among the shadows as he did so and occasionally using his own cloak to disguise himself among the coat racks that were placed around.

He soon found himself settled among a darkened corridor, where almost all view of him was placed out of reach. Silently, he went into his coat and pulled out a pocket flashlight, shining a small yet strong light down the shadowed hallway.

"Now if only if I can find a way to that office from here…"

He started tiptoeing down the corridor, making sure not to step on anything below. The floorboards slightly creaked, yet other than that he was able not to make a sound from his steps.

But as soon as he started, he managed to shine his light to a nearby door, where he saw a room labelled "Shauni". He would have passed it easily had there not been a plastic toy of a monstrous creature – a DomZ – placed upon the floor near the door.

"Bingo!"

Smiling, he brought his way to the door and opened it gently. Bright daylight started to stream through the door, leaving him to almost too quickly get behind the door and close it.

"Shauni, we have dinner ready for you!" spoke a faint voice. "It's outside when you want it!"

Coming further down the hallway, lighting up the darkness with a larger flashlight on the tip of a cart, was a pink Globox. She made her way cautiously among the darkness, carrying a tray with a serving of Quiche Lorraine and two glasses of orange juice.

She stopped the cart in front of the door, yet she only just noticed something upon the floor – the DomZ toy was knocked down. Her eyes widened as she knew that there was something going on behind those doors.

* * *

Darkwing stepped inside a dark room, with thick emerald green curtains blocking all sources of the sunset light. A few candles were seen placed around on certain desks near him. 

With caution, he picked up a match, struck it and lit one of the candles, giving off a fresh alpine scent across the room as the wick was lit. He took a clearer look, and saw it to be a near perfect representation of a young female adult's bedroom.

He made his walk carefully across the room, feeling uneasy about the entire setting. Stepping onto some clothes thrown onto the floor as well as the occasional tea towel, he seemed to show some interesting concern to his surroundings.

"What happened to this place?" he muttered quietly to himself.

Starting to feel more uneasy, he placed the candle down and drew back the curtains. The sunset light shone through the windows, giving out a more orange shade among the greens that mainly decorated the room.

He then proceeded to extinguishing the candle and placing it back where he found it, when as that happened he noticed a small desk to the left of him, topped with a mirror above it.

He went towards it and started looking through the drawers, hoping to find more clues. But as he gave up in one drawer, he sighed and closed it, before seeing a white envelope right in front of him.

"A letter?" he gasped.

Carefully, he took the envelope into his own hands and opened it. And there it was - a complete written letter, with words of expression placed onto it in green ink. Twitching his beak, he went on to read it.

Nearly a couple of minutes passed before he was able to finish reading it, and by then he started to show a complex expression of fear upon him. With his hands continuing to shake, he quickly read the letter once again.

As the words sunk in more so, he then soon came to a stop and got onto his feet. Placing the letter into one of his pockets inside his coat, he quickly rushed towards the windows, being careful not to trip up.

"This sounds terrible…!" he then exclaimed louder.

He looked at the windows, and there he saw them for himself – the window glazing was wide open. Feeling a draft, he quickly closed it by its handle and made his way towards the door.

Hesitantly, he took a hold of the handle and tried turning it in multiple directions before he could come to enough senses to open it. And then he did, leaving a shadow to creep in front of him.

"YEEARGH!" he then shrieked.

There, standing in front of him stood the pink Globox that was at the door just after his arrival. This time, she was seen scowling at him, with a rolling pin in her possession, her teeth clutched together revealing braces near the gums.

"What do you think you're doing here?" she growled as she took hold of him by the collar.

She instantly pushed Darkwing down to the floor, whom started to show concern upon the brute that became of her. She marched her way towards Darkwing once more, picking him up once again.

"Trying to murder Shauni, are you?" she said with her voice slowly warping into a cockney accent. "Let's push you to the manager, pronto!"

"Please, you don't understand! I wouldn't hurt a fly!"

The pink globox picked up Darkwing higher into the air and shoved him onto the cart that she pushed on the way up, pieces of quiche sticking to the walls and various juices spilling to the floor.

She took a hold of the long pink gown that covered the cart and tied him up that securely he would be left in a cocoon-like shape as long as he was on the cart itself. The globox leered on at him once the result was materialised.

Darkwing couldn't do much but shout. "What do you want with me, you big oaf?"

The globox didn't listen. With a facial expression filled with success, she pushed the cart down the hallway, satisfied that she found trouble and took care of it as a one-soldier army.

For Darkwing, he felt happy that he got the letter from Jade's room, but his face showed that he couldn't have been humiliated even more. He continued to hang his head down low as the cart advanced further into the main room.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the main room itself, Fletch and Sora were left back to their own devices, looking on at the hallway that Darkwing went down minutes before, hoping to hear news back. 

Yet, Fletch couldn't help but look on at Spider-Man, who was in a corner reading a graphic novel. It seemed as if he might know so much, yet something about going up to him and randomly speaking to him didn't seem to click.

Eventually, he took the courage to stand up on both feet, but before he could even make his way towards him, the sound of wheels was placed within the air. He looked all around him, before he saw the source of the sound – the hallway that Darkwing came from.

"Mister Fischer!" the female globox cried out.

Sam managed to regain his own focus as he looked on at the corridor's end itself. And right there, she came storming down in the middle of the room, the wrapped up clothed cocoon rolling onto the floor as she made her stop.

"We've had a raider in Shauni's bedroom!"

Sam's eyes widened as he heard her shout. He looked down and saw Darkwing rolling around on the tavern floor, trapped in the cloth and unable to move from the neck downwards.

He went towards him, released him from the cloth and picked him up on the collar, just like the globox did. He towed him up to his face level, so that their eyes were merely several inches apart.

"So, who in heck are you?" Sam growled back at Darkwing. "A robber in her tracks are you?"

Darkwing gave out a brief cough before he was able to speak. "Actually, I am the terror that flaps in the night. Not the molester that goes through women's' underwear!"

"Talk funny all you want, but we're not having it. Why are you here anyway?"

"You have to believe me. I wanted to see Miss Jade, and she's not in her room."

"Don't tell lies to me! I won't believe a single word of anyone that tries to attack this part of the city."

Darkwing quickly opened his coat and pulled out the letter inside it. "Read this, and see if it can change your mind."

The letter was received in Sam's hands, and then, he too started to unravel it and read it for what it was. His eyes growing more concerned, he dropped Darkwing on the floor with a thud on his back.

Calmly, he ended up sitting down upon a bar stool, hoping to read the rest of the letter. Equally as concerned, Fletch, Sora, Spider-Man and the pink globox all looked over and saw the letter for themselves.

_I don't know if anyone will be able to read this, but to whomever it concerns, I hope that it finds you well._

_I'm sorry if I have to leave you the way you did. Ever since hearing that our manager has suddenly vanished, I really wanted to look into the matter without any peer pressure._

_The manager is a very nice guy to everyone. I just don't understand what happened when he made his usual meditation routine at Ly's Tower this afternoon and failing to come back. I won't be coming back until I find the cause at the tower._

_Sam, if you eventually find this, let me tell you something – you may think I work for Club Ubi to make a successful post-game living, but I'm there for the sake of a friend._

_If there's any other close friends reading this, I'm sorry for leaving you all like this after what I've done for you. But I promise that I will still think about you as my trials go along._

_Signed, Shauni (Jade)_

Sam's hands continued to shake more so, until the muscles began tightening up and his teeth started to clutch together. Then, with brute force, the letter was scrunched up within his fist.

He then got up from the bar stool, bringing his arms out and knocking Fletch, Sora, Spidey and the globox over separate tables around the bar. With panic, he rushed towards the corridors that lead to her room.

"This has to be a hoax! I'm going in!"

Like a bull in a china shop, he ran up the stairs and made his way towards Jade's room. The sound of his raging feet clattering soon faded into silence, leaving them with a peaceful bar for several seconds.

As the silence continued, the personnel of the bar continued to look on at one another, wondering how Sam would react to seeing the emptiness of Jade's room right in front of him.

And right there, a shriek was heard from further inside the building. Those screams got louder and louder as the figure made his run towards Fletch and the others once more, making a stop near the same stool that he sat on before.

Darkwing was left to look on at him with a "told you so" expression upon his own face, leaving Sam to leer at him before gradually starting to feel more confident once more. He then stood up, looking down at everyone else as he did so.

"Okay, so maybe you're not so wrong after all. We'll need to figure out a way to go after her."

Darkwing started to rustle his own hands. "But how are we supposed to find this Ly's Tower place in a district like this?"

"Darkwing!"

Sora's shouts caused Darkwing's eyes to widen and him to react by running to the window that he managed to stand by. There, they end up with a view of the city from one window.

And in the distance stood a tower. It looked slightly faint from the angle they were looking at, which resulted in Sora making his way towards a closer window and getting a clearer viewpoint.

"Just look out the window!" he said while gesturing Darkwing over. "I can see something!"

Darkwing made his way towards the window once more, wanting to see what Sora had his eyes on. As that happened, Fletch, Spidey and Sam made their way towards the window for themselves.

And right there, they saw a clearer view of the tall brick-layered tower. And near the front of it, they saw a silhouetted figure making its ascent up the walls, using only its hands for support.

"I see someone ascending Ly's Tower", commented Spidey. "But… why would they do that?"

Fletch gave out a shrug. "I don't know, but is this person climbing up who you're looking for?"

He pointed towards the silhouette again, and by that point Sam went behind the bar and took out a miniature telescope from one of the drawers. He instantly went back towards the window and saw a close-up of the tower.

And through his own vision, he saw the back of a female with short black hair, wearing mainly green clothing and small amounts of brown here and there. Instantly, Sam was taken aback.

"That's Jade! We need to get her down from there this instant! Only designated people can actually open the door to get in!"

Sam looked on at everyone else, whom all showed equally concerned expressions upon one another. He brought his attention to Spidey, whom was then looking out of the window with one of his hands on his chin, stroking it gently.

"Spider-Man, can you do this for us?" Sam commanded to him.

"It's not often that I take orders from Club Ubi", he said with a slightly cheerful tone, "but I will give it a shot and see what I can do. But don't expect a perfect score after what we just talked about."

Sam looked at Spider-Man for a further amount of time. He saw that he is destined to make the better of the current situation, but what would he mean by "not expecting a perfect score"?

Yet, it was from there that Spidey continued to pace around the room, his eye slots showing a small tint of thought in spite of the mask around him. Eventually he turned to the others, that expression still remaining.

"Question is... how am I supposed to get right to the top with a door as tight as that?"

Darkwing looked on at the door, and soon turned back to Spidey with a smile. "Perhaps this can help you."

He went into his coat pocket and brought out a small trinket upon his hands. That left Spidey to be curious enough to take a closer look at the item for himself. Its radiant green light easily shone bright to reveal a more reflective sense of mind upon him.

And right there, he saw it – the green stone that was passed from Spyro to the party beforehand. Spidey took a close inspection to it, and saw all the details on it – no scratches, just the bird-shaped emblem upon it.

"Ariel's Emblem", he gasped in awe.

The party continued to look upon Spider-Man and the trinket. It seemed as if he was reunited with a long-lost friend, in spite of it being nothing more than a symbol of city status.

Eventually, he gave the trinket back to Darkwing, his eyes fixed upon Spidey's face, awaiting further vocal response from him. And then, he opened the door and turned straight towards the others.

"It's not often that I asked for help, but what I can say? Four heads are better than one."

Darkwing's jaw dropped. How would they imagine that Spider-Man, a comic book hero, would be able to give them some assistance with this light quirk? Even Sam seemed amazed, applauding almost instantly after Spidey's speech.

And so, Spidey, along with Fletch, Sora and Darkwing, left the tavern and started making their journey towards Ly's Tower. For them, anything that would help for the sake of a city element like a tavern in the Red Globox district would help out Ariel as well.

Yet they knew that though this would be a short task and having little to no connection to re-tracing neither Fletch's companions nor the Emperor, but whichever the results, it still remains as a strong priority.

* * *

They managed to reach the foot of the tower some 15 minutes later, and as soon as they were there, the first thing they did were looking up at its structure. Jade was nowhere to be seen among the walls, but they were still amazed by the limestone carvings and various statues of mythical creatures being placed around it, from scarf-wearing serpents to cat-like fairies to even dancing rabbit creatures. 

Their focus was soon brought back to the main task of getting through to the tower itself. Darkwing looked hard at the door, and right in front of him, there was a slot to place various round objects in.

With that, he took out the emblem and placed it into the slot. A radiant glow of green light surrounded the door, before clicking open. They pushed the wooden doors open, re-claimed the emblem and started going up the spiralling stone stairs.

It was an ascent that almost felt as if it was going to last forever. Looking up, it didn't seem to be as if there would be an end to the tower at all, something that would make various climbers feel uneasy.

Feeling agitated, Spider-Man took a shortcut by shooting out a white web substance from his hands and climbing the stairs by connecting to the multiple ceilings and ascending them almost eight times as fast as the others.

Yet it didn't feel easy for the others, as they ended up starting to struggle to keep up with Spidey as he swung higher and higher among the tower spires. It was by the halfway point that Fletch started to tire out and almost collapse.

By then, he helped the others by letting them climb on his back as he ascended the spires. One by one, the remaining members of the party were placed onto the final few steps that would separate them from a coming floor.

* * *

Finally, Spidey made his final ascent with Darkwing in tow. By the time they managed to get up, they walked towards the door and opened it gently, highly anticipating what could be at the other side. 

In front of them was a wooden ladder. It didn't seem to be as drastic as the stairs that they just faced, so they all ascended them step by step, with the exception of Spidey who just used his webs to swing himself up.

Eventually, they came to yet another ladder and a trapdoor. They opened it, and right there they were brought into a small circular room, where a fountain was placed in the middle, topped off with a statue of the same cat-like fairy they saw at the entrance.

"Is this it?" Sora gasped with awe. "The top of the tower?"

"It looks like it", replied Darkwing with a stern nod.

They both took a closer look around the building itself. The purest waters flowed through the mountain, glistening with a pale pink among the deeper sunset colours. Even the ground looked so clean you could eat from it.

The vintage points had nothing to prevent people from falling off aside from a few columns holding the ceiling up. Carefully, Fletch went to the edge and looked down, seeing the view from down there.

"But I don't understand", he frowned. "We would be seeing Jade up here right at this window, so what went wrong?"

Darkwing remained near the fountain and shook his head. "I'm not too sure about this place myself. Unless she might have slipped on the way up, this tower could end up being full of surprises."

With a sigh, Fletch stood up and made his walk back to the others. As they felt defeated, Spider-Man looked on towards the fountain. And with the same expression he had when he saw Jade climbing the tower in the first place, he turned to the others.

"Be careful! It's a trap!"

Everyone else stood in their tracks, curious over what kind of quirk might have happened. And yet, they soon saw something stirring among the water. Ripples. There were no stones thrown into it – the cause of the effect seemed to be mysterious.

And then, all of a sudden, the waters faced what felt like an explosion, and out from the fountain came a female silhouette, dripping with water all around her. Eventually, she came in the light and showed herself as the girl in green – Jade herself.

"You!!" she scowled over to the group.

She made a run towards them, getting out a stick that glowed with an eerie turquoise light. As that happened, she tried to make her attack on them, but Spider-Man made his defence by standing in front of them and using his hands to block her off.

"You tried to kidnap the manager!" she screamed back at him.

Spidey started to nod hesitantly. "Listen, we didn't do anything to you!"

That left both Jade and Spidey to be involved in a brute combat of their own, evading and eventually striking upon one another with their respective weapons of fists and a stick. That left Fletch and the others to just watch from the sidelines as the event happened.

Eventually, she made her jump up towards the top of the fountain and started shooting sickles of light straight down towards Spidey, whom often rolled out of the way more so than not.

He saved himself by using his webs by climbing straight to the ceiling and remaining there. That left her to suddenly change her focus from him to Fletch, Sora and Darkwing, still standing near the door.

"Perish, now!"

Jade then jumped high into the air, swinging her stick around, which then glowed with a stronger light than before. Then in almost a fraction of a second, she sent a giant turquoise ball straight down towards Fletch and the others.

"DUCK!" he shrieked.

He and Sora made a duck to the ground almost immediately, but Darkwing ended up looking around, idling into space. All that Sora would do to respond to that was sighing with disbelief.

"What?" the duck asked with a confused expression.

Eventually, Fletch pulled Darkwing down to the flow, with Jade's ball instantly skimming the top of her own hat and striking the walls nearby with heavy essences of smoke and rubble following on from the collision, falling on top of the trapdoor that they entered the room in.

Jade tried to counter them again with smaller sickles from the stick, but Sora stepped in front of Fletch to counter with his own weapon, a keyblade – a giant key made of steel. He countered the attack by blocking all the physical blows Jade could provide from the stick.

Yet, in spite of the difference in textures, she managed to overcome Sora and push him to the wall. That left Fletch and Darkwing to come to action and tried to pull her away from him.

"You can't do this to Sora!" Fletch cried out to her.

"Tell me!" she shouted as she continued to corner the key bearer. "What did you do with Rayman?"

"They did nothing", spoke a mysterious voice.

The voice caused Jade to freeze in her tracks, looking on around the room, with a face actually starting to look more hopeful. And then, attention was placed towards a small glowing object on the floor.

Darkwing walked towards it alongside Jade, and saw it for what it was. It was a bright green glowing stone, just like the one he received from Spryo. He picked it up and compared it to the one he had – they both looked exactly the same, except one of them had a dragon shadow inside the bird emblem, and the other had an unnamed creature with no limbs, a long rounded nose and bushy hair going forward, silhouetted within it.

"Ariel's emblem?" Darkwing blinked with a puzzled expression.

Eventually, the new emblem he picked up started to glow more intensely. And as soon as he did, he dropped it straight to the ground, shocked by the intense light. And right through it, he saw a shadow showing upon it.

"Shauni, they did nothing", spoke the shadow. "They weren't the ones that kidnapped me."

The light soon faded out, and the silhouette showed itself in a more potent form. It was a limbless creature with yellow patterned shoes, a purple body with a white ring upon its front, a red hood/neck scarf on the top, white gloves, and deep blue eyes and ginger-blonde hair upon him.

"Wait…" Jade gasped. "Rayman!"

She tried to run up towards him and embrace him into a hug, but as soon as she tried to touch him, she just ended up going straight through him like a ghost. Maybe the illusions were too good to be true, she thought to herself.

Yet she pulled herself together and wondered how he was able to speak the way he was, in what essentially looked like a hologram. She took some closer steps forward to him, her eyes looking more curious as she walked.

"If you're kidnapped", she said while pondering, "how are you speaking to me?"

Rayman focused his attention to the stone that Darkwing picked up and successively dropped. "There is a reason why I owned this Emblem. It's too hard for me to describe it to you right now, but I can say it's my way of letting you know that I am in good health."

Rayman outstretched one of his own hands, showing that his own palms were in firm shape. Jade placed her own hand upon it, and even though she was unable to physically touch him, she managed to understand his own ideals.

She then looked on towards him, her eyes starting to show more determination. Now that she knows that she is safe, she still had thoughts of her own to tackle. By that, she continued to place her hand upon hers, looking into Rayman's with a more concerned look.

"Can you please tell me where to find you? Club Ubi would not even be the same without you."

Rayman just lowered his head. "I don't even know where I am, but my kidnapper seemed like a figure of high authority. He was small, wore a blue suit and had a deep voice for his own height. I just wish I saw his face, or where I've been taken to."

He lowered his head, unable to show that he was able to do anything for her aside from showing his safety. Eventually, he placed his other hand upon Jade's cheeks, which she felt a cold aura going across her face.

"Please, do Club Ubi a favor and help me. I will be in your debt if you do."

Jade's eyes widened. It was expected that she was to do something to help Rayman out of the pickle that he was in. Yet, she just remained speechless for a matter of seconds since he spoke.

"Huh?" she finally muttered to herself some time later.

She managed to recompose herself, thinking so hard about Rayman's words. A potential search for him would be good, yet even by just looking out of the window, the place looked too big to tell.

"Rayman, how can I do this?" she asked him almost disappointingly. "You can't leave me without any sense of direction!"

"I'm sorry."

She looked towards Rayman once again, who by now was also glowing a faint white color. He looked on at Jade, whom again started to feel more concerned than ever about the search.

He brought his hands out once again, and placed them through her hands. That left them both to bring them both up into the air, their palms facing each other. His eyes started to feel more relaxed and focused as this procedure happened.

"Follow your heart, Shauni."

By then, white glowing stars started to show up around the team, with Rayman beginning to fade out into nothing. Yet in spite of this, the aura of his holographic body felt as strong as ever.

"Let me tell you something that a member of the senate once told me", he said more confidently. "Never give up. Trust your instincts."

Jade smiled back at him, knowing that he gave out a very reasonable response to the whole thing. Yet in spite of the comfort, she felt that the aura was starting to weaken around her.

She looked on at Rayman, whose figure started to become merely a shadow once again, enveloping itself in the bright stars of the light. And then, there was a gentle flash, one that enveloped the room for a brief period of time.

As soon as it faded out, the vision of the room was brought back to them. This time, the second emblem stopped glowing, leaving Darkwing to pick it up more freely. All that Jade could do is show a face filled with some light anguish.

"Rayman…" she whispered quietly.

She brought herself down to her hands and knees, before bringing herself in a sitting position with her legs causing the only set of support required. She looked down from that position, knowing that her journey in the tower faced a bittersweet conclusion.

From the other side of the room, Fletch started to make his way towards her, showing a concerned facial expression upon him. He then placed one hand upon her hair, rubbing it back gently with a reassuring look.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

Jade sighed and continued to look down. "I don't know. Since Rayman was abducted from Club Ubi, the entire place has fallen into despair. If it wasn't for him, we couldn't even imagine us even standing together today."

"I would say that you should keep your faith in him."

She looked towards the sound of the deeper voice, and saw Sora making a similar approach towards her. As soon as he managed to get there, he took Jade's hand and helped her up onto her feet.

"This sounds very similar to the Crash Bandicoot case that Fox told us about", he said while fixing a calm gaze onto Jade. "I'm sure we'll help you locate your manager if there seems to be a connection."

Jade looked on at Sora; while he seemed like a different kind of person to end up looking towards than back at Club Ubi, he seemed to feel comforting towards her own inner self. That left her to smile back at him.

"Thank you."

Almost completely out of the character she demonstrated on the entrance to the tower, she brought her arms around Sora and the two were embraced into a small hug, comforting one another at a tense moment.

Fletch and Darkwing looked on at the scene with similar thoughtful expressions onto them, with Spidey rejoining them from the ceiling a few seconds later. Yet, as fast as the hugs started, Darkwing's eyes showed more nerve.

"Okay, so now that everything's been done... um..."

Spidey turned towards Darkwing. "Is there something else wrong?"

Darkwing hesitantly nodded and pointed towards the rubble that was crashed on top of the trapdoor. And then he pointed out of the window, where a giant drop was seen upon them.

"How are we supposed to get back down?" Darkwing screamed.

Spidey showed an instantly concerned face, yet eventually he found a solution. He instantly took a hold of Darkwing and used his webs to make a descent down the same wall that Jade climbed up earlier.

The process was then done for the other people up at the tower until everyone that was inside were brought straight back down to ground level. By that, the sun was just about to make its departure upon the horizon, ready to leave the city in a blanket of twilight.

* * *

Eventually, the group made their return towards Club Ubi as a group of five, and as they did so, Sam welcomed Jade back into the building with open arms. Happy as he was, his facial expression still showed one thing – a potent figure in the Club's generation returned. 

Yet, unknown to him, the thought about Rayman's hologram in the tower were left upon the others' minds. That thought remained fixed upon them during the hours in the evening that passed.

The group had their own share of drinks and supper served from the tavern staff, leaving them to be content enough to make their way to the dormitories and settle into their lodgings for the night.

Day 2

_Club Ubi, Red Globox District - 8:45AM_

As the sun made its ascent, the tavern was shown in a more golden color around the setting in comparison to the shanty buildings placed around it. By that time, a small blue globox rode a bicycle delivering newspapers.

Inside the building itself, Fletch and Sora were already up on a table, sharing out the last of Coco's biscuits upon one another. Various crumbs were seen from their feasting as they did so.

While Sora managed to eat more quickly, he saw that in some intervals, Fletch was starting to look down at the crumbs, brushing them all over the table. By that, the key bearer placed one of his biscuits down and brushed his fingertips upon Fletch's left hand.

"Fletch, you look like you're upset. Is there something wrong?"

Fletch sighed with a shaken voice tone. "I can't believe that has been my first night

away from home. What if my mother is worrying about me?"

Smiling back towards Fletch, Sora brought himself up from his own stool and brought his own hands towards himself. Just like with Jade the other night, he brought him up onto his feet and placed him in a warm hug.

"I can feel for you", Sora whispered quietly towards him.

Fletch continued to show a fearful look upon him as he continued to be hugged. But it wasn't until he looked back up a Sora when his eyes looked, and he knew that he would do everything in his power to calm him down.

"Not far from here is a place called the Imaginarium", Sora began again, "where those with the highest links with the outside world step forth towards the tower and provide their wish to show their form to the outside world."

Fletch gave out a couple of blinks. "So you're saying that's where videogames come from?"

"In a sense, though all we do is just state what we want to see in a nutshell", the key bearer replied with a shrug. "In my case, my idea of fighting with a giant key for a weapon got handpicked among the elites for me to express it to the world. I wasn't expecting myself to be heavily distanced from some of my _own_ friends for an extended period of time."

As Sora spoke, he went into his own jacket pockets and pulled out a small photo encased in a silver frame. Fletch went towards him and saw it, seeing a picture of him posing with several other youths just like him, all of them having blue eyes.

By that, Fletch managed to take a light hold upon Sora's body as he looked upon it, trying so hard to place his arms upon his shoulder but only just touching it with his fingertips.

"But from what I've learnt throughout this experience", Sora began again, "it's that hearts can connect us together. As long as your mother can feel your heart, and as long as you can feel hers, that's the connection you need to tell each other that you're fine."

Sora crouched down towards Fletch and pointed towards his chest. That left him to look down towards it and gently pat it with one of his hands. By that, he started to wonder about the strength of his own heart.

His face started to change. First it was a slight twitch, and then his mouth shrunk before he brought it into a really gentle smile. He then went towards Sora and held both of his hands, as if they were two brothers.

"I guess I should owe you something for that, Sora."

Sora quickly shook his head. "There's no need. Let's just focus on finding these missing people first. Then we can-"

Before anyone could respond further, a rumble was heard from a nearby corridor, causing the ground to shake and two glasses to fall to the ground, shattering upon the ground into many pieces.

"What's that?" Sora quickly reacted.

Another thud happened, leaving Fletch to find the source. "It's coming from Jade's room!"

Both of them quickly made their way inside the corridors once more. In spite of it being daybreak, they remained to be as dimly lit as ever. That left both Fletch and Sora to hold hands as they went further.

It wasn't long until they finally came across Jade's room, and right there they managed to see the DomZ action figure lying on its back as soon as they came there. Several clothes were seen also thrown out of the room.

They looked inside, and right there, Jade was seen in confrontation with Sam with her stick in her hand. Every time he tried to take a hold of her, he kept on striking him across the body.

"But Shauni, why are you doing this?" he panicked to her. "We can't have you leave the Club behind! We'll end up drawing significantly less customers without a professional photographer!"

Jade lowered her head. "Aside from the photographer part, you said the same thing about Rayman. That's why I am putting life and limb to be able to track him down and restore the Club's former glory."

Sam started to growl towards her. "Look, I know we're without a manger, but I am sure he can look after himself. Let him find his way home on his own."

"You don't understand him like I do. I know him like a brother, and I really wish to be able to relocate him and help you. Until then, I will quit my job."

Sam once again growled and tried to take a hold of her but once again she used her stick to block him. She also took it one step further and knocked him straight towards her bed, which by then was still unmade.

"Jade, seriously", Sam said with a struggle. "We need you here!"

"I'm sorry, but my mind has been made up", she replied while folding her arms. "You caring more about this stupid tavern rather than the welfare of the staff is not doing you any favors. Have a nice day."

And with that, she turned to the door and made her way out. The shadow from the door left Fletch and Sora to take hiding behind a nearby statue, hoping for Jade and Sam to see that they weren't there to witness the trial.

Jade then left her room carrying a small khaki backpack upon her back. It seemed as if she didn't have much time anymore to stay within the tavern, especially after since facing what happened. She made her walk down the hallway, passing Fletch by the statue. By then, the boy emerged from behind and went to her.

"What just happened?" she asked her.

"I faced problems with Sam again. He seems to be the only guy who's not fond of my idea of going to search for Rayman."

Jade looked down, showing a feeling of anguish over her. By then, Darkwing and Spider-Man emerged from another room, also viewing what happened within the corridor.

"Listen Jade", the duck spoke with a sympathetic tone. "I know that you want to find your old friend again, but we're looking for people too."

"That's true", replied Spidey. "As they said, they're looking for Crash for a similar reunion in the south of the city, some of Fletch's friends to take him home, and Ariel as a way to help restore the city to the organised rule it had last month."

Jade brought her head up and looked at everyone. It seemed as if everyone lost something or other, just like her. And then, it seemed as if she started to nod while keeping a straight face, understanding of their situation.

"I can see what you mean. I suppose it won't be easy going alone on that matter."

She made a walk towards the end of the corridor, her ideas already being fixed in stone and a smile showing upon her green lipstick covered lips. By that, her hair started to gently sway from side to side in spite of it being too short for it to reach her shoulders.

"Jade, what are you going to do?" Darkwing asked. "And why are you smiling like that?"

"You haven't realised already?"

She turned back towards Darkwing, whom looked curious from his own position. Then, she looked at the others, the smile on her face starting to grow so much more. And then, she took a small step forward.

"Guys, I am coming with you!"

Right in front of her, the group reacted with gasps and jaw drops around them. To think that the female they saved in Club Ubi would be there to help them out would easily make things feel more efficient for them.

By then, she took further steps towards the others and started shaking hands with everyone there. She looked on at them as soon as she finished, and made a further gesture to them.

"I am sure that as a team we will work so much more efficient. This way, the city will be given a great amount of support very quickly. What do you say to that?"

The others remained silent, but the response was unanimous – they were willing to accept Jade into the team. After seeing their smiles and enthusiastic thumbs up and victory symbols on their hands, she lip-synched the words "thank you" from her mouth.

By that, Sora placed his own hand out, and one by one, everyone placed their hands on top of it. Fletch, Darkwing, Spider-Man and now Jade placed them upon one another. The group of three that started off from the evening before has now become a group of five.

As they all started to leave the tavern together, they saw the bright sunlight that crept upon the city. The market stalls were being established from the many globoxes that were getting ready to work among the plaza.

"So where should we go from here?" Spider-Man asked the others.

"I don't know", replied Sora with a shrug. "This city seems to be really big. It could take us a long time to cover its many districts."

Fletch looked down towards the ground, thinking over the situation. The sooner he found his friends the sooner he can go home, he thought to himself. Eventually, a location was fixed upon his mind.

"Sora, what about that Imaginarium place you told me about?" he then asked. "The way you mentioned the elite troops is that they would seem to help you in almost any given situation."

"I think you could be right", replied Sora. "If there's anywhere that has links with multiple parts of the city, it would be that place. I'm sure someone will tell us something."

Fletch's right eye widened with hope. "If you say so..."

They made their way towards a road within the plaza. Comparing it to the Rosemary Fields and White Dragonfly districts, the traffic actually showed itself to be much more versatile for vehicles than what was seen before.

They stopped by a bunch of traffic lights, being operated by two globox wardens. Various cars were seen making their way past them, trying their best to evade the coming rush hour traffic.

And right there, one of the globoxes sent out a red light onto the road to stop the cars from crossing over the pelican area. The other issued a green light to the pedestrians waiting there.

"Let's go!" Fletch jumped with a smile.

And as the green light remained as it was, they made their walk across the road, ready to make their way towards another district. They went towards varying degrees of signposts, finding their way to the Imaginarium.

Regardless of how far it could be for them, they learnt from their time at Club Ubi that by starting to develop some further friends around them would further help in the general input of the city.

For that, Fletch is slowly starting to feel happier than he was when he first settled in. Whether the homesickness would come back is something that would remain to be seen, but as he learnt, if he felt his mother's heart, he will know that his life in the outside world will still be as secure once he leaves Theoropolis behind.

_-end of chapter-_


	4. Welcome to the Imaginarium

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Another chapter went by, and I must have once again went by some great response across the sites that I placed this in. Thanks again

Before I start plugging the latest, I might as well explain a little more about how this fic came about. Prior to this I didn't write a fanfic in nearly two years, my last effort being "The Black Tide" in the Crash Bandicoot section. Then I got a mail from a noob requesting me to write a sequel to "A Crashmas Carol" (currently at DA; odds are it won't survive long if I post it here as it adapts an existing work). But I can't write a sequel to a spin-off, yet it did give me the urge to write another crossover. Yet to make it come to life, I asked people all over for the kinds of characters they wanted to see. The result was the cast of this tale.

However, even now I got some late requests with people telling me to include characters belonging to themselves. That was something that I stated from the beginning - I WOULD NOT ALLOW ANYONE'S ORIGINAL CHARACTERS HERE. Sorry about the giant text, but there were two reasons - firstly, it would detract from the meaning of a city that gives birth to creative ideas in the outside world, and secondly, there's no way in heck that I would work with Mary-Sues and other pointless character types.

Moving on though, this chapter will hold a part of the city that makes everything worthwhile - a building where many active fictional characters work and focus, preparing to present their ideas to the outside world. This will mean the introduction of various active characters present, namely Jak, Ratchet and Etna (from Disgaea) in this chapter, showing their presences in the premises. I hope to make it a very integral part in this stage as well as a later chapter or two.

I hope this goes down well, and thanks again for all responses to this!

Peace out,

-Rexy-

_

* * *

_

_I wanted to ask myself why Akumi seemed to be getting her own way all the time. No matter what happens, even if she was struggling with work, even if she forgot to do chores, even if she forgot to take a shower... she doesn't seem to get penalized much._

_And then, I was towed on one cold night into my parents' room. Here, my mother sat me down on my bed and began to tell me just about everything about her. I opened my ears out wide._

_"There is a reason on why your sister is how she is. She was just special."_

_I looked at her eyes from her position, and I can tell by the quivering shapes in the dark room that she seemed to feel more concerned than the usual. What kind of "special" things did this to her to make her feel like this?_

_She then picked up a photo of her on a nearby mantelpiece – one of her as a baby in my mother's arms. She looked so sweet and peaceful. It seemed to give me the odd impression that she was pampered for her entire life._

"_She took a long time before she could learn to walk or talk", she began. "We took her to the doctors, and after she was analyzed, we were told that she was diagnosed with a mild Autistic disability. I don't even know what it is, but it seems like it could be either Asperger Syndrome or ADHD. I don't know what."_

_"So that explains it now..."_

_I just couldn't believe at that point that Akumi has ended up with a mental growth disorder like Autism. I don't know what it feels like, ever since I've yet to wonder what it feels like to be a mentally retarded person._

_But that's something I can read up on for another day. All I could witness for now was her mother's face of pure grace as she took her words in bravely. She leant towards me and placed her hands on my shoulder._

_"I'm sorry if I didn't tell you sooner, but this is why you should treat her as carefully as you can. She's different to us, and you'll need to show that mood back."_

_She embraced me gently. Those words still stuck in my mind really well. Does this means that she will be treated like the queen of the world, while I will be left to grow up with presumably less treasures than the Sheriff of Nottingham after a raid by Robin Hood._

_But in the end, she's still a person. A human being. And if there's something I was willing to give to her, it was to make her acknowledge the fact that we love her very much. It should easily be said ever since she didn't seem to be so threatening otherwise._

_"I'll try if I can", I whispered to mom. "But when do you think she'll find out herself?"_

_Again, we remained in silence as we continued to look upon one another. The question was lingered upon her lips, leaving her to grant so much time to end up composing her own answer towards me._

_Yet, I still felt concern about Akumi. She's only just started going to high school, and I'm still surprised on how she has been unable to know about her own abilities. I still wonder what might have happened if she was told right now._

_"Her time will come", she finally spoke. "For now, I just wish you will be a strong boy for her. I am so proud of you, my son."_

_She leant forward, and outstretched her arms, leaving us both to take a hug upon one another. To see that we were two of three people living in the house, knowing of a big secret by the third, was something that would take a while to fly through my head._

_Then, I released my grip from the hug and started making my walk out of the room. Today I felt as if I learnt something new, but whether I will come to acknowledge it on a long term basis would remain to be seen._

_For now, I felt as if I could approach Akumi without knowing what makes her less resistant to punishment granting. And with that in mind, I should be fine enough to live in the same house as my elder sister, even if her feet sometimes give off the scent of dried roasted peanuts._

* * *

Day 1 (flashback)

_Coco's diner, Rosemary Fields District - 8:30PM_

The skies were seen turning straight to darkness, with various stars eliminating the night sky up ahead. A bright moon also appeared from behind the clouds, casting a gentle light down to the ground.

As that happened, many citizens of the city were seen making their way right across the Rosemary Fields District, going through the gritty floors that covered it and making their way straight towards Coco's diner.

Even at an early time like that, there was a heavy crowd around a table in the center of the room. Near it were two stools and five glasses of citrus yellow fluid on either side of the table itself, simmering gently as they remained still.

"Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for the event of the evening?"

The crowd looked around for the source of the voice. And wading through the crowd from the bar of the diner, Coco appeared, looking almost exactly the same as she did that evening except she had a small whistle tied around her neck.

She brought her arms out, instantly silencing the people around her. Time passed, and she took a further few steps forward. She looked behind her, bringing her hand into a "come here" motion, gesturing two shadows to follow her.

"We've seen the competition plow on well over the past few nights, and now we have our grand finale in the bi-monthly Lemonade Drinking Face-Off here at the diner." She then made her way towards one of the stools. "In the red corner, weighing at 298lbs, it's the king of sugar and sweet stuff - Gourmet Guy!"

The crowd started to cheer again as the first of the shadows emerged towards the stool and sat down. He showed himself as an obese entity wearing namely red cloth all over his body, his face being completely white and having giant black round eyes.

"And in the blue corner at a normal weight that I'd rather not mention for the sake of the contestant's well-being", she said while the second shadow made its way over, "who would have thought we'll see this guy go far with a body like this? Please welcome Ratchet!"

The crowd started to cheer again as the second shadow emerged – a golden yellow beast-like creature with long triangular ears pointing out, a tail like a lion's, flat feet with claws upon them and brown stripes going across various sections of his body. All that he wore were green pants, brown fingerless gloves and a brown set of leather headgear that covered the top of his head.

They both sat down upon their stools and looked upon one another, their eyes starting to glow with determination, Guy's black eyes instantly showing attempts to freak out his own opponent, and Ratchet's pine green ones to cast an eerie glow among the dim lighting of the diner.

"I just want to wish you the best of luck before the face-off gets underway", Ratchet spoke as he brought out his hands for a handshake. "May the best drinker win."

Guy turned down the handshake offer very quickly. "Oh, I'm sure we'll know who that is", he then spoke with a chuckle.

Guy was left to snicker further as he looked on at his five cups ahead of him. It seemed as if he was determined to take a hold upon all five of them at once and consume them in one gulp if he wanted to.

Ratchet however, took several deep breaths and looked down upon his own. Five whole cups of lemonade would be a big concern for someone of his own stature, but he still felt determined to do what he wanted to do.

"Contestants ready?" Coco shouted towards the pair. "On my whistle you will start drinking. Are you ready?"

Guy and Ratchet looked towards Coco with determined expressions upon their own faces. She looked on at them herself, giving out a light smile, interested to see who would be able to drink faster.

They both took the handles on their first glasses of lemonade and continued to fix their eyes at Coco, her whistle now being held between her fingertips and slowly coming towards her mouth, ready to give the signal.

She then blew the whistle, initiating the beginning of the face-off. The crowd started cheering as both contestants were seen consuming the lemonade glasses, both doing their best to outdo their opponent.

Steadily, they both consumed the lemonade glasses that were in front of them, both of them starting to measure up to each others' expectations in the opening cup or so. They both ended up reaching the halfway point with that first glass at exactly the same time.

But it was by the finishing phase of the cup itself that Gourmet Guy started to pull through and make some brisk haste. Several seconds passed, and right there, he showed himself to be the first of the contestants to consume the first cup.

That left Ratchet to start struggling at the sight of which, the distraction causing him to start choking slightly on his own drink. The struggle with that left him to finish his first cup about 15 seconds later.

As he was left to recover before he even tackled his second cup, Gourmet Guy was starting to get well onto his second cup, getting halfway through that one in particular. Before Ratchet would get started on his own second one, he started to leer on at his own opponent.

"Sheesh", he spoke while trying to catch his breath. "This is harder than I thought it would be!"

Guy continued to smirk and snigger towards his opponent. "How can a wimp like you remain in the competition?"

Ratchet continued to leer towards Gourmet Guy as he started to settle into his second glass. Two seconds later he started to follow suit and tried his best to consume the lemonade as fast as he possibly could.

He used as much tension as he could to the muscles upon his neck, to consume the drink as fast as he could, but by the time he got halfway down he started to run short on breath once more. By then, his opponent almost managed to consume his THIRD cup.

The fans were his only speck of hope remaining. Their cheering left him to keep on trying as hard as he can, but in the end all he could do was maintain a very steady speed as he started to go onto his third cup.

As that happened, Gourmet Guy ended up finishing his fourth cup and going onto the fifth and final one. But as soon as he started, he suddenly started to show a flinched expression upon his own eyes.

And right in front of Ratchet, he instantly dropped the mug on the ground, stood up, waded past the crowds in panic and went straight to a nearby bathroom. That left Ratchet to stop drinking, confused by the event.

"Don't stop now, Ratchet dude!" Bill cheered from nearby.

Ted whistled towards the lombax, trying to get his attention. "You can get the upper hand from here. Finish the job!"

"That would be excellent!" they both cheered in unison.

Ratchet looked towards his remaining cups. And right there, he rubbed his hands tightly as he managed to pick up his third from where he left off. He then started to consume it, while still keeping his eye upon the bathroom door.

Time passed and Gourmet Guy still didn't re-emerge. It was only two minutes after his departure into the bathroom that Ratchet managed to get well into his fourth cup, finishing not before long either.

And within another minute of time, he managed to go through the last of the mugs, consuming it faster than before. And then, it was emptied entirely. Ratchet smiled with satisfaction, belching the gas out from all five cups of lemonade he drank.

"I think we've found our winner!" Coco cheered happily.

Everyone managed to surround Ratchet, cheering happily for him and his successes. Coco raised his hand into the air, and managed to give him a small golden trophy shaped like a cocktail glass.

While satisfied with the whole ordeal, Ratchet looked on at Gourmet Guy's last remaining glass. Right there sat four empty glasses and one that was half-consumed. How exactly did his opponent chicken out, he wondered to himself.

And right there, a door was opened. He looked back towards the bathroom door, and there stood Guy, standing there with his curly fists clenched tightly and his face drenched completely with tap water.

"That guy cheated!" he growled while pointing at Ratchet. "He must have spiked one of my drinks!"

Ratchet started to retaliate. "What do you mean? I played everything nice and fair. I would never do a thing like that!"

"Look at this then!"

He went towards his glass and instantly picked it up. Right there, he pulled out a small twig inside his own glass. He also produced the other half of the stick, bitten and covered in grime. Ratchet started to panic at the sight of it.

"I swear I didn't do anything!"

Gourmet Guy placed up his own fists once more. "You want a bet on that, wise guy? Put up your fists!"

"Gentlemen, NO!" Coco gasped to the pair of them.

And right there, they both suddenly started getting involved in a fist fight, with Gourmet Guy starting the proceedings. Ratchet had no choice but to fight back with his own bare hands, trying his best to block the obese figure ahead of him.

They both jumped straight towards a table, sending a small lavender vase flying as soon as Guy made his jump onto it. Again, Ratchet fended for himself well by blocking him with the limited bare-handed skill he had.

And then, they both went towards the top of the bar. Ratchet climbed onto the glass gracefully, while Gourmet Guy belly-flopped onto it, completely shattering it. He further jumped several times, causing the force of the wooden supports around the diner to start caving in, with rubble from above starting to drop.

"Ratchet, run!" Coco pleaded. "He's on a craze!"

Ratchet gasped as he saw her starting to get surrounded by rubble. "Coco!"

"Leave me alone! I'll help myself out of this mess!"

She kept pointing to the door, insisting her customers' safety before her own. He looked towards her, and then Gourmet Guy, whom continued to jump up and down on the spot, causing the rest of the décor of the diner to cave in.

It seemed as if he had no choice but to try and escape. Quickly, he jumped down from the bar and started making his way across the floorboards, trying his best to get around all the knocked down pillars that came through the wreckage.

And then, the pillars started to drop in intensity around Coco, whom was left crouching down on the floor, using her arms to block off any of the dust that would come her way. Ratchet continued to panic.

"Coco!!!"

He ran towards her, trying to bring out his own arm. But just as soon as he got there, the remainder of the pillars completely covered her. Showing fear, he tried to pull them out of the way, but it seemed as if there were no means of doing so for the time being.

With another thought in mind, he made his way outside, starting to think that there will be another means out there. As he escaped, Guy managed to chase after him, picking up two slabs of slate on the way to try and attack him with.

But just as they left, a shadow was seen making its way around the rubble, making a careful approach around the building. Only a pair of green eyes could be seen among the darkness, shifting silently among one another.

It went towards the diner, surprised at the run-down state it had quickly become. Breathing gently, it made its walk inside the wreckage, its eyes showing sympathy and deep concern for anyone that could be left inside.

* * *

Day 2

_Blue Lurker District, 11:45AM_

The midday sun started to shine down on another district of Theoropolis – one that didn't seem to be too far from the Red Globox district that Fletch and his company have managed to stay behind before.

Darkwing soon reached another checkpoint, and as soon as he got there, he brought out Spyro's copy of the emblem to the guards. That gave him and the rest of the team access to a different district around them.

It looked a little nobler than the previous districts that they managed to travel through. This time, there were homes made of strong bricks, with beautiful statues and stone arches gracing the doors. But it wasn't that that made them get their attention on entry.

"Wow, look at the size of that tower!" Fletch shouted as he pointed straight up.

Right in front of them, there stood a large tower, built out of a beautiful limestone texture. It stood there, glistening in the late morning light, showing its beauty down to the streets beneath it and with its blue flags waving gently in the wind.

The group of five managed to make their way towards it, wanting to take a closer look at it. Several corners were passed, and they saw it – the building could be mistaken as a castle or an abbey at first glance, but it still felt as if it was still just as common a building to enter as a shopping mall or something similar.

"Ah, the Imaginarium", Darkwing smiled at the sight of it. "It's been a long time since I last stepped foot into this place. I'll be surprised if anyone recognises me after I left 14 years ago."

Sora leered towards the duck. "Darkwing, you haven't aged one bit."

"...ah?"

With shrugs exchanged between them, they started to make their way up the long pathway themselves. Looking around them, they saw a beautiful garden with brightly colored flowers, water features, the occasional hedge and the occasional shrub shaped into different kinds of figures, from comic book heroes to videogame heroes of legend to the greatest movie icons that graced the silver screen and more.

Eventually, they all stood by the front doors, wood-stained and covered in a shiny copper colour. Sora went towards it and pushed it open gently, with the bright light of the candle-lit interior gracing him.

"Still, what are we aught to be doing here?" Fletch asked Sora as he walked up to him. "Are we going to ask the personnel around this place?"

Sora turned back towards the young boy. "I think that's the best shot we have at tracking down Ariel. Odds are they would wait for guests on the sixth floor, with the main leader floating around the seventh."

With that, he started walking inside the building for himself, walking steadily among the crimson carpet that was rolled out in front of him. The others soon managed to follow, wanting to see further inside.

Fletch's attention remained towards the scenery around him. Though the place seemed to be nice and welcoming, what if it didn't seem to be all that was cracked up to be? Those thoughts made him start to feel anxious.

"Come on Fletch!"

He looked inside, and saw Jade standing by the foot of the stairs nearby. She brought out her hand, causing Fletch to finally take his steps inside the building. The daylight that illuminated him from that angle had vanished.

There, they both locked hands and started walking up the stairs together. They both started to spiral up that portion of the floor, up until they managed to reach the third, where a straight corridor was seen in front of them.

As soon as they started walking down there, the dim candles that were in front of them started to glow with a bright and radiant light around them. That left Fletch to gasp towards them with a wondrous expression upon his own eyes.

Curious over the rest of the corridor's magic, he ended up rushing forward and taking his side near the front of the pack, near Sora and Spider-Man. The development of the light left him to smile at the effects that would grace the area.

"So who runs this place anyway?" he asked the rest of the party.

"It's been run by many leaders in the past, probably going as far back as the 5th Century BC", Spider-Man gestured as he started pointing at several ancient Greek role-model portraits on the wall. "The current Imaginarium host is Jak."

"Jak?" Fletch asked cautiously.

"He's had that position here since the release of the videogame _Jak II_ in the outside world, and so with an imagination like he did for a sequel title, he seemed to have great enough potential to take over from Mario after he served his 15 year contact here."

"Ah, I see", Fletch nodded showing understanding. "But isn't Mario still involved in games now?"

"I would presume so", replied Spidey as he folded his arms, "but he seems to be a little old for this leadership thing. The last I heard, he ended up juggling his regular visits with running a pizza business not far from here and taking lodgings in his own home."

Fletch looked on at Spider-Man showing understanding upon him. The city structure itself would still seem difficult to make its way through and make a more permanent thought upon how he thought the order would work out, but it still felt promising.

He left himself to continue looking on at the great guardians of the past and their portraits among the corridor, each of them changing to a more modernised look as the eras started to change, from the times of Ancient Greece through to the era of the Roman invasion and following historical eras prior to the 11th Century.

"I can't believe so much has changed since I've left this place", Darkwing said as he shook and climbed up onto a nearby vase. "Are you sure coming here is a good idea? I don't want any of the pre-1992 staff to take me as the thief that hides in their closets!"

"Darkwing, get down!" Jade shouted as she rushed towards Darkwing. "You'll just hurt yourself!"

Right there, she rushed to him and placed him down, being able to support the vase with her foot before it could even attempt to topple over and smash. Sora went over to the pair, with a more stern expression than the usual.

"Jade's right", he spoke in a low tone as he held Darkwing's hand. "I know that you seem nervous, but it doesn't mean you should climb on their property. I'm still sure that nothing will happen. Just make sure you don't do anything to them."

Darkwing freed himself from Sora's grasp and saluted with it while walking forward. Yes sir, I'll bear your wise words in mind. After all, who wouldn't want to listen to the words of the keybeare—"

Darkwing didn't look where he was going as he managed to speak, which left to him suddenly feeling as if there was something starting to suffocate his own ankle. And then, he looked straight down at his feet.

"--Aaargh!" he then panicked.

He tried to run, but before he could even make a second step, he tripped up and fell straight towards the ground with a crash. The group looked on at him and whatever kind of incident he might have faced that time.

And indeed, he was seen lying face first on the ground, with one of his feet being stuck inside a silver ceramic pot. He lifted his head and looked on at it, waving it in the air at a really low height compared to how he would then shake his other foot.

"I'll be fine. I'll get this thing off, one way or another."

Then, he took a hold of a nearby curtain and started pulling himself to his feet, struggling to make a stand thanks to the pot that remained upon his foot. He then rubbed his hands and started to hop steadily and cautiously.

But it didn't take too long before he was able to fall again but before that could happen, Sora went towards him and took a hold of his arms before he could crash down once again. They locked their arms around each other's shoulders and supported each other down the corridor.

It wasn't long until they reached another flight of stairs, where they will be able to continue their ascent to the sixth floor. The meeting with the guardian of the Imaginarium was nigh, and could be necessary if they need to re-trace Fletch's companions and the missing citizens as of late.

* * *

Meanwhile, at another part of the building, there was a dungeon. Its stained yellow brick walls were dimly lit by white candles placed upon their holders, and the floors were seen covered in dirt and grime. 

In the middle of one of the rooms in the dungeon sat Ratchet, his head hung low. He was next to a table, with one of his feet being chained to a nearby column, unable to make his own escape from his position.

Then, a door ahead of him clicked open. Beyond its iron bars there were two cat-like crimson eyes. And as the shadow emerged further, it showed a pseudo-feminine formation around it, complete with demon wings and a devil's tail.

"Ratchet, Ratchet, Ratchet", she spoke with a nasal tone. "Who would have thought I would see you here, again?"

She stepped into the light and showed herself – a humanoid demon, with ears pointing like cat ears, was seen standing there. She wore a black bat-shaped tube top complete with short pants, gloves, collar and boots, with a blue coat going around her. She was also shown to have a flat chest along with a pair of brash and bushy crimson pigtails to match her eyes.

She took a steady walk into the room, continuing to leer towards Ratchet with a devious expression upon her. She then managed to sit down on a chair at the other side of the table, showing a more serious expression than the usual upon sitting down.

"Once again, you broke the curfew. This must have been the fifth time this week that you've done that! An all time low, I might add."

Ratchet started to growl towards her. "That's not to say you're any different, Etna. I've been in the game business at least a month more than you!"

Etna gave out a chuckle from her mouth. "It doesn't matter how long I've been with the Imaginarium Guard; all it matters is what I have to contribute."

She jumped up from the table and continued to pace up and down the room. She looked around and saw various statues of other demonic creatures that stood tall, ranging from warriors to overlords to ninjas to even the occasional fallen angel.

"But that's not what matters now", she spoke with a serious tone. "You're going to be in serious trouble for your actions at the Rosemary Fields Diner."

"What are you going to do?" Ratchet asked her.

Twitching her tail, she made a walk towards the side of the room opposite the door. And there, she saw a lever and pulled it down as hard as she could. A trapdoor from the floor opened up instantly.

Then from above, another hatch was opened directly above the trapdoor. From there came two wooden poles and a sharp blade being edged between them. From underneath the trapdoor came a bucket and a set of stocks. Ratchet started to cower at how it was formed.

"Not the guillotine!!!"

Indeed, there stood a lethal weapon that is capable of beheading anyone who gets placed inside it. The sight of it left Ratchet to try and flee, but with his foot trapped in the chains, there was no way of doing so.

"Etna, you can't kill me off!" he shouted towards her. "The outside world sees me as a versatile icon! You can't do that!"

Smirking, Etna looked onto him. "Sorry Ratchet, but your time is almost up."

She then managed to turn around once more, continuing to look on at the concerned beast ahead of her. After several seconds of silence, she made her walk towards the door that lead into the room once again, twirling her fingers as she did so.

"If you dare to break the rules of conduct one more time, this will be your punishment. And it won't be filled with flowers either."

She continued to point on at the guillotine, which by then started to turn Ratchet's face almost completely white upon the mere glance towards its death-related tasks it has undertaken within the past.

"For now, you will receive an earlier curfew", she smirked back. "You will return to the Imaginarium at 4PM every day, no later."

Ratchet started to shake his head. "That's not fair! I often have meetings with Senator Clank at 5!"

"You've just buried yourself a grave."

And with that, she instantly slammed the door, causing a shake upon the ground to be heard. That left Ratchet to remain inside the cell, his foot being locked within the chains, showing less of a chance of ever escaping.

He then ended up sitting down, alone once more. His tail started to twitch with tension as he knew that he faced a lethal point of punishment upon him. He looked on towards the iron bar covered window, growling with strain on his own teeth.

"Wait till I get my hands on you, Etna", he muttered quietly with anguish. "You've done almost everything to make my life a misery since you got signed up for this job!"

With that, he managed to stand up and make his way slowly towards the window, only just being able to touch the iron bars that separated him from the corridor out there. His grip upon them showed an increase of anger he managed to surge through his own body.

Yet eventually, his feelings changed. His expression slowly started to change to curiousness as he started to think more about her. Keeping his hands on the bars, he then looked up to the dim ceiling lights above him.

"Though, I still wonder, how did she get in the Imaginarium guard? And at such quick notice too?"

The words he spoke continued to stir around his head. It was almost as if Etna ended up being near him for a smaller amount of time, and getting up to the higher ranks of the Imaginarium insanely fast, as he seemed as if he was to intend.

Eventually, he sighed and went back towards the table, where he looked straight on towards the many demon statues that were placed upon the corners of the room. He looked straight into their cat-like eyes, wanting to find the truth by focusing elsewhere.

Frowning, he slumped on the table, feeling like he was ready to face an extreme death sentence. In a situation like this, there was nothing that he could do at a time like this. Not even a small nap would calm him down.

Back outside, Etna was seen making her departure from the dungeon, carrying a burning torch upon her right hand. She then reached a set of stairs and made a firm ascent, her wings and tail starting to twitch as she got further up.

As soon as she reached the top, she placed the light upon a nearby hook, and she looked on towards the hallway ahead. She then started to make a brisk walk, anxious to see her next role in her duty.

As soon as she made her way towards the gardens, she managed to see some clouds start to pull over the scenery below it, trying to cause a brief shadow to the grounds beneath it. Etna looked up, blinking with concern.

"I sense a cold air coming."

With that, she walked further into the garden, a growl starting to show up on her face. And as soon as she managed to reach the middle of the area, she brought her hands upon her back and brought out a device that was wrapped upon her back.

There, she took a hold of a crimson spear, decorated with many demonic patterns upon it. She pointed it towards the sky, looking at almost every corner for the cause of the cold winds that surrounded her.

Eventually she looked towards the western tower – the second tallest of the lot. She ended up seeing a black force starting to swirl its way towards it, making its way there in such a gaseous form. As that happened, a few black and white feathers dropped towards the ground.

Growling, she started to make her dash right inside the building once more, intending to be able to catch up with it really quickly. Using her own spear as support to get up some of the ledges around her, she made her run along the first floor of the Imaginarium faster than an Olympic athlete.

As she ascended the stairs that lead to that tower, she felt determined to see what was to occur inside the building. Whether it is for heroic or anti-heroic reasons, little would she even know that there would be more occurring up there than she thought, or would there?

* * *

Meanwhile, on the sixth floor of the Imaginarium, there stood to be a large spiralled staircase, with bright white banners gracing the walls in the contrast to the usual red. The portraits of the Guardians of the past have gone towards recent times, namely from 1920 onwards. 

Near the staircase, there came Fletch and the others making their steady walk over there. Among the group, Fletch started to feel more agitated over the general situation. He saw stools for people that wait to see the Guardian there, but no people to wait and no people to assist them up the next set of stairs.

"I can't believe this", he muttered to himself. "We've climbed so far up and there doesn't seem to be any sign of any Imaginarium guards. Maybe going up here was a big mistake."

Sora placed a hand upon Fletch's shoulder. "Don't feel so down. Maybe it's their lunch break. We could be heading around that time."

Bringing his mouth into a further smile, he was able to let Fletch turn towards him. There, he brought his eyes down towards Sora's wrist, where by means of success he was wearing a pocket watch underneath one of his gloves.

He looked upon it and saw the time as it stood. Only 10 past noon according to it. Wondering if Sora's statement was true, he ended up sitting down upon the stools, bringing his hands upon his cheeks as he did so.

"So, what do you think we should do from here?" Jade asked the others.

"Let's see..." Sora once again looked up the stairs ahead and down the corridor they once walked down. "When there's no sign of any Imaginarium guards, it means that we might struggle in searching for Ariel. Unless Jak is in his own study, we'll be having problems."

Spider-Man went up towards him with one fist clenched, patting it among the palm of his other hand. "I say we'll try now while we have the chance."

Spidey soon made his way towards the stairs, placing one of his hands upon the railing. As he saw that, Jade managed to make her way towards him, her face starting to show concern as he took the first step.

"Spidey, wait!" she shouted to him.

Spidey shook his head straight away. "It's not as if we have another choice! Besides, I'm not climbing up five flights of stairs again!"

Jade thought silently. Maybe Spidey had a point about the stairs they just ascended. But it still felt risky to make their way towards the top of the stairs and tackle it for how it was. With that, she lowered her head, concerned on what to believe.

She then looked on towards Fletch, Sora and Darkwing, all staying within a corner discussing the matter amongst them. It wasn't long until they came close enough for Jade to be heard within the conversation.

"Spidey's right", Fletch said with a nod. "We've come so far, so we can't let it all go to waste now."

With many brisk nods, they started to make their way up the stairs, following Spidey. Yet, Darkwing was one of the guys that were left to struggle behind on their own, his foot still being trapped inside the pot from earlier.

"Hey, wait for me! My foot's almost freed!"

Darkwing made his way closer and closer towards the others, but it only resulted in him tripping up as soon as he got towards the stairs, leaving him to topple over and land head first, slamming his foot onto the floor and shattering the pot, freeing his foot.

Shaking his foot around gently as it was, he made his way up the stairs towards the others, now glad that he was able to go and catch up towards the others once again, a grin showing upon his face.

They then reached the seventh floor in its entirety, which consisted of two directions – a way inside a large set of golden doors with the symbol of a purple furry beast upon it, and the stairs they just came from.

Carefully, Sora managed to open the door slightly so that he could be able to take a look inside. And lucky for him, there was a figure in the room – a blonde haired humanoid with blue eyes and namely navy tunic with various pads among his shoulders, arms and legs to match. His hair almost touched his shoulders, and to top it off his ears were shown to be pointed, similar to Etna's but they were pointed out to be as long as his shoulders when their lengths were combined.

The room itself was filled with blue cloth among the walls and windows, with white candles lighting a work desk that he was writing a letter on. Whomever his recipient was remained to be seen by anyone else, yet that thought was out of the question when a shadow extinguished a nearby candle.

"Who goes there?" he spoke with a deep manly voice.

He quickly got up on both feet, and looked around the room. He saw that one by one, the candles were being extinguished, with the laugh of the shadow starting to increase in volume as time continues onwards.

And then, the last of them were extinguished, leaving the figure in potential darkness. He quickly brought out a gun from behind him and opened it up, with a small red flashlight on top of it lighting up his surroundings.

"Come on out and eat some lead!"

And so the monster managed to respond by leaping out from it. No one can make out an exact shape from it, but all that can be said were deep brown eyes, as dark and dreary as (type of rock) from a volcano.

While the monster tried to physically attack the blonde figure, his opponent shot with several yellow plasma bullets that would attempt to pierce the figure, yet most of them ended up going straight through the demon.

Fletch looked on at Sora. "Should we help him?"

"I don't know", he sighed. "I don't even know what that shadow is to begin with."

Jade starts to gasp at the creature. "Look!"

She quickly pointed towards the monster itself, which by then extended a pair of limbs. To her, they looked so wide and bird-like, yet the rest of the shape still felt too indistinguishable to be an actual bird.

Waving its arms around, it caused several black and white feathers to end up falling to the ground as it made its battle cry and following attack on the blonde humanoid. He countered back by blocking the monster's attack by using his gun as a shield.

And there, both figures continued to fight on against one another. The blonde humanoid escaped the clutches of the monster by jumping up onto a nearby table, which the demon quickly managed to destroy with its sharp fingers.

There, the blonde humanoid quickly switched to a new mode upon the gun – one which shot out light blue machine gun pellets. He shot them, and in the space of two seconds he saw multiple piercing shots making their escape from the gun nozzle at a rate of roughly 20 bullets per minute.

"Come back here, you stubborn freak!"

The blonde humanoid's shots, like with the yellow plasma bullets, ended up going straight through the demon for the most part, and if not hitting it in the eyes and/or knocking down other ornaments within the room.

Eventually, his bullets ran out completely, leaving him to panic as he looked on at the weapon for himself. Right then, the demon made its strike by pushing itself forward and instantly knocking its opponent down to the ground, pinning it with its claw-like hands.

"What are you doing to me?" the humanoid panicked, unable to hurt the monster. "You can't be serious!"

"JAK!!"

The doors were instantly pushed wide open, and that left Sora to charge straight into the room with his keyblade drawn out. Shocked to see him react by coming to fight for what has now been confirmed as the Imaginarium's Guardian, Fletch took a step out with a worried look upon him.

"Sora, what are you doing?"

"I don't have a clue", said Jade as she shook her head, "but I say we do what he does and follow suit."

Fletch looked on at her with his right eye widening with worry. "But why?"

"We fight first, and ask questions later", Spider-Man replied as he stepped between them both with his hands outstretched, ready for combat. "Just get in there!"

With that, Spidey, Jade and Darkwing all ran into the room to assist Sora. That left Fletch looking down at his feet at the door. It seemed hard enough for him to be placed into a perilous situation like this, let alone having been in a situation where he'd need to fight before.

Yet in spite of his obvious lack of experience, he looked on at the group, his broad limbs starting to shake with worry. There they are, helping an Imaginarium Guardian to his feet while fighting a monster that seemed to be almost invincible. There was no choice for Fletch in the matter – it was either to fight, or be scolded by the rest of the team for having no active part.

Fletch took a deep breath and stepped back. "I'm coming!!"

And with that, he made a run towards the middle of the team, waving his arms in the air like he was rowing a boat with his own pair of arms. He then charged his way through the team and towards the monster, which reacted by fading out in front of him.

The resulting black and white feathers from the disappearance ended up at his feet, leaving him to look all around for the source of the creature once more. Yet, no matter how much he tried to search for it, there was no way of tracking it down.

"...Fletch?"

The boy made his turn towards Darkwing, whom looked confused at his entrance. As that happened, at a steady pace, the candles in the room were re-lit one by one. The radiant glow that surrounded the room upon entry was back once more.

As Sora, Jade and Spidey went over Jak and carried him over to a nearby sofa, Fletch remained there, the thoughts of his run remaining in his mind. Darkwing's speechless expression started to change, leaving him to finally open his mouth 90 seconds after the charge.

"How did you... what the Peking duck... mashed potatoes... Saturday night..."

Jade couldn't help but smile at his remarks as she turned towards him and the boy. "Fletch, I think what Darkwing is trying to say is, how did you chase the shadow off like that?"

"I don't know", Fletch frowned as he looked down at his feet.

Fletch's legs started to quiver. That seemed to be as close to fighting as he could come to get, yet as soon as he was about to strike the shadow would vanish. How can it be possible with a boy holding so little combat experience?

Curious, he went towards Jak's stool and sat down upon it, his right eye also showing a small quiver upon it as he continued to glance around the room. Yet his expression soon turned to one that would be associated with deep thoughts.

"Something about it feels really cold", he then spoke towards the others. "Did you guys feel anything similar?"

Spider-Man gave out a nod of agreement. "You're absolutely right. But what kind of figure would have a body temperature as cold as that anyway?"

Fletch ended up shrugging back to him, with Spidey to end up following suit. They both ended up coming closer to one another, both looking as curious over the event than the usual, until Jade made her turn towards them.

"Look! He's coming to!"

Both Fletch and Spidey turned towards Jak, and it was there that he was seen starting to get himself to sit up on the sofa, looking relieved that there was some party or other that saved him from a grave threat.

He looked on at them all one by one – Spidey, Jade, Sora, Darkwing, and of course, Fletch. With a smile showing complete gratitude, he took a hold on the arm of the sofa and stood up on both feet once again.

"Thank you", he muttered quietly.

With that in mind, he steadily made his walk towards the middle of the room, maintaining his thankful smile towards the team. It wasn't long until he even went towards Fletch and held it as if he was ready for a handshake.

"Thank you for saving me", he spoke to them back. "If it weren't for you people, odds are I would have fallen into pieces by now."

Jade gave out a smile while hoping not to boost her own ego. "Hey, it was no big deal. We're really grateful that we-"

"And you must be the kid that chased it off!" he said to Fletch as he brushed his black hair back slightly. "How did you do that?"

Fletch looked down with a sheepish look. "I just don't know. I'm only here to look for my sister and best friend, and I wasn't expecting to be dragged this far."

Fletch once again sat down on a nearby stool, starting to feel vulnerable in the situation that he was placed in. As that happened, Jak managed to crouch down next to him with a reassuring look upon him.

"Young man, while I personally feel vulnerable in my state as the Imaginarium Guardian, I am sure you have potential to be able to go far with what you are doing. I overheard that you and your party are on the search of Emperor Ariel, correct?"

"Of course we are", Sora nodded from nearby. "Theoropolis can't run efficiently without him."

Jak made his turn towards Sora and looked on at the rest of the group. He saw the individual traits among the team – Sora's keyblade, Jade's stick, Spidey's web-based attacks and Darkwing's bare fist approach.

"You've provided quite the party", Jak smiled. "I like your taste."

With that, he looked on at Fletch. There was easily something about his arms that didn't look well catered for combat. So right there, he managed to stand up and make his way straight to a nearby closet.

"Here, let me find something in here to give to you. Hopefully this will help you on your-"

"Not so fast!"

The doors were suddenly slammed wide open, and right there were a bunch of shadows making their way inside the building. Four of which were only about half as small as the main shadow; they in turn resembled penguins walking on peg-legs with handbags around their stomachs.

And right from behind them, their main shadow appeared – a feminine shadow with giant pigtails, a long blue coat, bat wings and a demon tail. As far as Jak was concerned, Etna had just entered the room.

"Just as I expected", she spoke with a vicious smirk.

She marched her way towards the middle of the room, her tail continuing to twitch from side to side as she made her further progress into the room. She then made a stop in front of Fletch, leering straight down at him.

"You were trying to murder Jak, weren't you? Who let you inside the building?"

Fletch turned towards the rest of his party with a shaken look. "Who is she?"

"That's Captain Etna of the Imaginarium Guard", replied Jade. "She seemed to get a very quick promotion once she came to this place. But why, I don't know."

Showing a growl upon her mouth, she managed to remain in a standing position, placing her hands upon her hips and tapping one of her feet in a cautious state. Her tail also stopped twitching and stuck straight up into the air.

The very glance of her caused some of the party members, notably Sora and Spidey, to take various steps back. Those demonic eyes and features placed upon her went to show that she would obviously mean business.

"Listen, we didn't do anything wrong", Fletch then pleaded. "There was this big monster that came and attacked Jak, and we were here to defend-"

Etna opened out her hand in front of Fletch's face. "That sounds like a very unlikely story. Only people with high rank access can come up here."

"But there were no guards!" he retaliated back. "And we were desperately here to speak to someone for advice! How else do you think we would have tackled this situation?"

Just as when Fletch was about to speak a little further, Etna went closer towards him and ended up wrapping her arm all around his face, blocking all movement of speech from his mouth for a while.

The others tried to bring their way to Fletch to free him from Etna's grasp, but before long, the peg-legged penguins made their way towards the others, drew out daggers from their baggage and made their way towards them.

"Enough talk!" shouted Etna with a cackle.

She ended up taking a hold of Fletch's right arm with her other arm and pulled him straight into a corner. In the meantime, the Prinnies quickly jumped onto the others while getting various bits of string out from their pouches at the same time.

"Save your breath, Jak, because those people will be held prisoner and will be punished later on", Etna once again smiled. "I'm sure you'd like that, won't you?"

All that Jak could do was look on at the others helplessly. He may be a Guardian of the Imaginarium, but he too felt as if he had a reputation to live up to when it came to the building's own staff.

In no time at all, the penguins managed to secure the ropes onto the team members that they surrounded, instantly tying their hands tightly, unable to make any secure escape from their situation. As that happened, Etna went on to pick Fletch up and carry him over her shoulder.

"Etna, put me down! I don't deserve to be carried like this!"

The humanoid demon cackled viciously. "Tough luck; you don't have a say in the matter."

"No, really, we didn't do anything!" Fletch continued to shout. "We just wanted to speak to Jak about Ariel, and then..."

As Fletch continued to tell his side of events, Etna just left herself to shake her head with a smirk, satisfied that she ended up catching someone that was coincidentally with Jak as soon as she arrived.

Almost as quickly as she arrived, she and the peg-legged penguins made their departure, with Fletch and the others completely helpless in their current situations. Their shadows started to trail off gently as they went down the stairs to the floors below.

From his angle, Jak started to show a face full of fear, having seen what Etna managed to do. And right there, he turned straight back to the closet, feeling as if he was unable to grant anything to the boy.

"Hang in there, Fletch", he spoke quietly.

He then went straight towards the closet itself and opened it slightly. What was seen was an envelope of darkness that covered everything that was inside it. But upon closer inspection, it wasn't entirely dark.

Simmering silently in the darkness was a steel point attached onto something, glowing white among its tip. Yet in spite of the glow of light, the shape of the actual structure itself would be a guess for anyone to make.

With that, he returned to his desk and looked out of the window. Outside, the sky started to turn cloudy, almost obscuring the light from the gardens beneath. And inside his mind, there was a thought that Fletch and the group would stand a chance to escape.

Soon, a thought was struck. He looked back at the shadowed object in the cupboard and gave out an honest smile. And the way of the tactic's execution would remain solely within his mind and no one else's.

_-end of chapter-_


	5. The Two Gunners

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Wow, not another comment on either side. :( Still I got another reader seeing the story and passed me a comment through DA comments, so all's pretty much okay, I guess.

I suppose with the lack of response there isn't much to talk about. But mind you, I did spend a lot of time making music cues for various scenes in the story. I developed a good back catalog in the past two weeks or so, and if you want to see them then they should be at my Livejournal page. Yes, I AM going to get one of those. It'll be linked in my profile before long.

So yes, time for part 4, and it introduces us to Joanna Dark. I had quite a few people persuading me to put her in. I thought given her more perfectionist route as an agent, she would work well with a rival relationship with Ratchet, which I tend to see as a running gag that will occur throughout the fic. Also, I actually DID try to make a cocktail out of cornflakes and grape juice as a kid. Turned out to be pretty nasty, that's for sure. Bless?

I don't know about "bliss", that's for sure. If you want to know why, read the part and comment. I really need it!

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_It didn't take me long to get used to the idea of knowing that Akumi may seem like a big sister to me, but I have to feel more like her guardian. I don't even know if she'll even realise what we're doing in order to make her as happy as possible, but no matter what I will come to help her out any way I can._

_Every day, I went to her room and sat by her as she started to paint some realistic pictures, namely of plants and mystical animals. Right there and then she would turn to me for advice on what kind of poses to put them in._

_She took them well, and right there they looked more beautiful than I imagined. She may be a bit feeble when it came to her social skills, but behind her hands was one heck of a skilled and powerful artist._

_I also helped her out with a lot of other pastimes too – playing badminton, reading comic books, even taking her to the local zoo. But one thing had to lead to another as soon as she saw the aviary – she told me to do something at the local forest from the village itself. And so, it was the following Saturday that I made my mission down there._

_The weather was overcast, with some slightly monotone skies above. It wasn't exactly one of the most pleasant experiences of a summer afternoon I was hoping to see, but it was enough to help me out in that particular task. Akumi wanted me to track down a pet for her to own and care for, given that our combined pocket money were too short to buy one herself, not even a hamster._

_She even stated specifically what she would have wanted the best – a robin. I don't think this is the right kind of habitat for a bird like that, but you never can know in such a backwater location like Fort Pearl._

_I went deeper and deeper into the forest, yet in spite of my progression there, the strong daylight continued to provide as much of a clear vision as I would get guiding a hallway at eight o' clock in the morning, without any additional lighting other than the sun of course._

_And right there, I saw a bird shadow in front of me._

_Its bright golden eyes were shimmering in the darkness, almost looking as cute as any living animal itself. Robin or not, I knew by instinct that Akumi would come to love it, so I just came closer, hoping to catch its body with my arms._

_Unfortunately, disaster struck._

_Like a lion escaping from its pride, it instantly pounced onto my face and used its beak to start tearing away upon it, using its feet and wings to support it on my body. The pressure felt very sensitive, and so I tried my best to pull it away._

_Even if I did lift it away and attempt to place it back on the ground, it would still hover back on my face and try to peck it further. Its beak was seen trying to scratch onto every piece of skin that I could, yet I was lucky as I saw that not much damage was to be taken among that region._

_But all of a sudden, it struck something. I tried to look at it with only my left eye open, but all I saw from it was distortion and everything starting to turn red. It was then that I found out that the goose was pecking away at my left eye! Instantly I pulled him off again and threw him to the ground, its blood-stained beak getting stuck in the ground as it landed._

_I was worried on how I would find a way out from this white feathered demon. I tried to crawl to the nearest tree, hoping to get out from behind its rampant flapping spree, but it only became worse as the pain from the eye damage started to get more awkward._

_I don't know what kind of intent the goose had to begin with to try and attack me just like that. Yet it would still be intent to attack me any time soon, once it would free itself and rush towards the tree that I was in. There was only one thing left on my mind - to get rid of this monstrosity._

_I closed my left eye to try and get a clear enough vision on my right eye, and then I jumped down the tree made my run straight towards the goose once more. It then freed itself from the ground and ran towards me, hoping to take out any more remaining body parts I might have._

_As I ran, I saw a loose stick on the ground. I instantly picked it up, intending to use it as a club upon the rampaging creature. And then it started to swoop towards me, hoping to attack me once more._

_I swung the stick around as rapid as I could, trying my best to defend myself with it. And then, I ended up suddenly striking it on the head, causing it to squeal and fall straight to the floor, itself showing a painful expression as it landed._

_With that, the goose finally fled from the scene, and it was there that I knew I wouldn't be fighting it any time soon, club or no club. But the pain was still persisting. With one eye seeing clearly and the other slowly becoming nothing more than a distorted red lens, how was I to show myself in front of mom and Akumi?_

_In disgrace, I took off one of my shoes, got a hold of the corresponding sock and placed it over the bad eye, placing the shoe back onto the then bare foot. Worried about what would happen when I headed back home, I quickly fled the scene, hoping that I would never get the chance to see those white bastards ever again._

* * *

Day 2

_Imaginarium Dungeon, Blue Lurker District - 1:10PM_

The stairs to the dungeons of the Imaginarium building were still as dark and dreary as ever, as Etna made her way downstairs towards the cells once again. This time, she was surrounded with company.

Behind her came the peg-legged penguins, towing Sora, Darkwing, Spider-Man and Jade all tied tightly with ropes and leather straps. Etna herself was seen carrying Fletch with her hands placed around his body.

They then reached a cell, and as soon as they got there, one of the penguins went to unlock the door. There, Etna threw Fletch inside, with the penguins pushing his cohorts soon after. As that happened, she leered on the others angrily.

"You'll pay for what you tried to do to Jak!"

And with that, she closed the door, with the same prinny that opened the door locking it too. By the sound of it, Fletch went his way towards the bars and took a hold of them, shaking upon them as he tried to call for attention.

As that happened, the others sighed and looked around from their perspective. Even while looking at the iron door it looked dreary – demon statues were placed everywhere, and the golden colors of the walls, no matter how rich they were, were too muddy to be considered welcoming.

"Ma'am, come back!" Fletch cried out from the door. "We didn't mean to do anything!"

"Yeah!" followed Darkwing as he went to the door, his hands still tied together. "You know us! We aren't the silk worms that ate your garments!"

There, Fletch and Darkwing continued to shout at the door as the others looked on at each other with distress upon them. They knew that no matter how much shouting they did, there was no way they'd break out from there quicker.

"There's no point arguing about it", persuaded Spider-Man as he looked on at Fletch and Darkwing. "The fact remains that we're stuck here until we can even find a way out of this place."

Sora couldn't help but show a less optimistic look. "Yeah, but who would save us at a time like this?"

"I say just believe in yourself", Spidey replied. "Eventually, Etna will come to realise that you didn't mean any harm. Surely she could just see that we were just passing by?"

"I'd hardly say that."

The mystery voice caused the others to look straight behind them, and right there, they saw that they were not alone in the cell. Right in the middle of the room was a table, and an occupant placed upon it.

They looked upon the occupant, and right there they saw a beast figure in a shadow. It was shown to have long furry ears as well as a lion tail. Sora's and Jade's eyes instantly widened towards the creature, as if he personally knew him before.

"Etna is a mistress of bribing", it spoke in a solemn tone. "Almost anything can happen as long as she's around."

"What do you mean?" asked Jade. "She's only been with the Imaginarium for a few years, as far as I know."

The beast creature lowered its head. "I know, but what you see clearly isn't what you get."

There, it got up from the ground, trying to make its way from the pillar it was placed upon. But it could only get as far as the other end of the table thanks to the chain that was placed around its leg.

"She may not be the one who thought up the whole Disgaea game idea", he started again, but it seemed as if she wanted to take everything from her fellow stars over time. And look where she is now – Captain of the Imaginarium Guard. I don't know how she got there but that REALLY takes the cake."

With a growl, he then ended up stepping out into the light, only exposing one of its legs to begin with. The group saw that he wore only green pants and had three claws on each of its pseudo-webbed feet.

"I see what you mean by seeing her as devious and nasty", Fletch sighed.

The beast creature growled again. "Yeah, and it's thanks to her that I get caught for all the little offences around here on a constant basis. Trust me on this – attempts to overthrow authority, whether it be the Imaginarium Guardian, one of the Senators or even the Emperor, gets treated just as much as shoplifting."

The creature then stepped out from the shadow entirely, willing to share its grief-filled expression much more as it emerged into the light. And there, he showed himself as a yellow cat-like creature with brown stripes and green eyes – the one from the bar earlier.

Looking upon his eyes, Fletch came towards him and attempted to brush his chest with his cheek – the closest he could get to a small embrace at a situation like this. The creature looked down, curious upon the sentence that they were placed upon.

"For that, having spent many months heading in and out of this room, I'll help you out", smiled the beast. "This whole creative industry is literally going to the "Netherworld", or whatever Etna calls these demon residences she keeps talking about."

Fletch smiled back peacefully. "Thank you so much sir."

"The name's Ratchet. I don't want to get mistaken for royalty with your "sir" talk, thanks."

With a smile, he instantly went towards his chained leg, and took a hold of it upon his hands. The rust upon it looked like it faced better days, and with that in mind, he instantly pulled himself out almost instantly.

He then went around to Fletch's companions and took a hold of the ropes binding their hands, freeing them one by one. As that happened, Darkwing looked on at Fletch, the "sir" response he gave out still getting to his head.

"First Fox, now Ratchet", sighed the duck. "I mean, what kind of backdrop did you originally come from, kid? Upper class? Private education? A stallion farm?"

Fletch almost instantly turned away. "This is something that I'd rather keep to myself."

With a blink, Darkwing ended up looking away from Fletch, worried that he might have snapped the wrong strings as he ended up doing so. And then, he ended up sitting down on the stool that Ratchet was on earlier, feeling sheepish about himself.

Then, Ratchet made his walk towards a nearby pillar, and right there, he saw a brick sticking out upon it. Right next to it was a wall, colored a darker shade of brown in comparison to the rest of the cell itself.

"Now if I can just push the brick here, I should be able t-"

Just as when he was about to touch the block, the wall started to shake all on its own. Cautiously he took a step back, and as that happened, he saw the wall start to turn itself inside out, opening up a cavernous route from behind it.

And from the darkness of the hole came another female figure, though it looks more natural than Etna's. She had ginger hair reaching her shoulders and curling to the sides, and wore what looked like a blue stealth suit upon her.

"Ratchet, I was wondering why it was taking you so long to escape this time", she spoke with a snicker.

"J... Joanna??" Ratchet retaliated at the sight of her. "What strings are you trying to pull at a time like this?"

"Who is she?" asked Fletch.

"Spare the indirect stuff", she sighed as she went further into the cell, kicking Ratchet in the shin on the way. "Let me handle this myself."

She made her way towards Fletch and the others, stopping right in front of the group after a few seconds. As that happened, the pain from the shin kick left Ratchet to clutch his leg as he fell to the floor.

"Perfect agent Joanna Dark, industrial espionage specialist", she introduced herself. "I've done missions with Rareware since the turn of the millennium, and I've never missed a single shot when out on the field."

She instantly brought out her own pistol, and looked through the iron bars towards a nearby candle in its holder. She provided one shot from it, and there it struck the candle and instantly extinguished the light from outside. The group gasped at amazement at her capabilities.

Fletch, however, kept a straight face as he looked back at Joanna. "But if you seemed to like abusing Ratchet so much, why are you here?"

"I just came here to help him out in that tight spot. I wouldn't usually do so, but Guardian Jak commissioned me here in return for a higher salary."

She ended up turning her back upon the group and made her way towards the wall. Once there, she quickly pressed down on the brick, causing the wall to close once more. She sighed with relief as she turned to the others, relieved that the passageway might not even be revealed to people from outside.

There, she made her walk towards the table and sat down, bringing her legs up onto the table surface as that happened. A scowl showed upon her mouth as that happened as she too thought about the situation at hand.

"Thankfully", she began again, "Jak too was unhappy with Etna's role as a Captain of the Imaginarium Guard. He just gave her the position in fear of her using something called a "Prinny Raid" technique to blow up the Imaginarium Tower. Her Disgaea roles must have got to her head."

With a sigh, she quickly placed her pistols away before any further harm could be caused, much like the candle from outside. The others looked on at her eyes, seeing her own ways of concern placed upon her.

It wasn't long until she managed to get up again, her feet starting to dig into the floor really tightly and tensely. It didn't take long for her to reach the wall, leaning her own back upon it with the thoughts of Etna remaining on her head.

"I've also got a score to settle with her after she tried to tempt me with that black pretzel during lunch break. She sees me as the strongest competition to Jak's guardian spot once he resigns, even though she's at a higher rank than me."

Fletch looked up at her as he walked to her. "That Etna girl wants everything, doesn't she?"

"True, but there's no way we can let that happen. The next thing she might want to do is assassinate Jak herself."

The thoughts of the shadow that attacked Jak earlier quickly got to Fletch's head. "Wait!"

Fletch's shout caused Joanna to look straight upon him. The thought of the shadow quickly brought upon him the reason why he was traveling Sora in the first place – to find the one guy who would prevent these attacks/kidnappings in the future.

"That reminds me, have you seen any sign of Emperor Ariel around here?"

"Emperor Ariel?" Joanna began to ponder.

She placed one of her heels against the wall and started to roll her eyes while staring into space. A great degree of thought entered her mind as that happened, and it wasn't too long until she got both feet touching the ground, a thought set in stone.

"I'd rather think less after his recent actions", she sighed. "If you want to ask someone, odds are Etna would be your biggest pointer on this. I'll even force her to speak if that's what it takes."

Quickly, she tapped her own pistols as she went back towards the loose brick. There, she tapped onto it, and right there, the passageway managed to open up once more, exposing cold air and a dark chasm towards the group.

"I take she isn't taking his exile too well, huh?" Sora asked Ratchet as they walked in first.

"She can be like that", shrugged the lombax. "But still, I can't believe how bitter she's become since Rare's transition from Nintendo to Microsoft."

"We'll think more of this later", said Jade as she placed both of her hands on their respective shoulders. "For now, we have a captain of the guard to track down."

Sora and Ratchet both nodded hesitantly, and it was then that they focused upon the chasm up ahead. The darkness continued to surround them as they went further and further, into the cooler air of the area.

There, the cold air started to get to Fletch, whom started to flinch at the very feel of it through his short shorts and sleeves. It was there that Darkwing gave him a hand by removing his cloak and passing it to Fletch to use as a shawl over his body.

* * *

Fifteen minutes passed, and their route through the chasm didn't get any easier. The passageway started to turn from cold to colder, and the ground was also starting to face a degree of dampness, randomly shifting from firm to completely filled with ankle-deep puddles. 

Thankfully, Joanna started to feel more settled to the conditions, as she was seen leading the group with a flashlight with one hand and holding onto Spider-Man with another. Their path was tough, but nothing to fail to fall under.

Eventually, they made a stop at a nearby slope leading towards a rusted copper door. Spidey made his run towards it and tested it out, but even with his strongest pulls, the door was unable to open. That left him to take several steps back so that the rest of the team would see the door for itself.

"This is where the trail ends", Spidey sighed.

"Oh yeah!" shouted Ratchet with an excited tone. "Time to shake, rattle and roll!"

Instantly, he pulled out a small cubed box from his pockets and placed it upon the palms of his hands. And right there, a gadget opened up – a gun that was almost as big as him, with a nozzle wide enough to shoot out multiple missiles at once. Joanna looked on at it, and instantly sighed as she stepped forward.

"Step aside!" she commanded Ratchet.

With a smirk, she instantly brought out a small metal box to call for herself. And from there, it opened up into a smaller gun than what Ratchet held, only capable of shooting out a single rocket missile.

Yet, as Ratchet looked at it, he ended up starting to frown at the sight of it. With that in mind, he ended up withdrawing his own larger gun and scowling over at her, his fists clenching really tightly.

"Gee, why can't you give me a chance on knocking it over?" Ratchet shouted over at her.

Joanna instantly shook her head, "I beg to differ. I can't believe you have to rely on that R.Y.3.N.O. toy; those missiles could fly just about anywhere and miss the target; a complete waste of ammunition. Meanwhile, I've got a Rocket Launcher; much more perfect for blowing doors off."

Right there, she fired the rocket launcher, which shot itself towards the door. And as it happened, it knocked it straight off its hinges, causing it to fall and expose the group to broad sunlight once again. While most of the group were happy to see her do that, all that Ratchet could do was scowl over at her.

"Don't pull that face here, please", Jade shouted as she tugged his arm. "We have to keep going."

"Fine, whatever you say", sighed Ratchet as he rolled his eyes.

There, they walked out the door almost instantly, while Fletch, still covered in Darkwing's cloak, looked on behind him. There he ended up seeing a small hatch above, exposing some sunlight, and a broken ladder. That might have been how Joanna got there, he thought.

He too followed suit as he caught up with the others, trying to climb the damp ground towards the group. Daylight was brought to shine brightly in his face, at least with a warmer touch than he thought initially.

Fletch took a hold of Spidey's hand and looked up at him. "So what do we do from here, just make our way back through the Imaginarium?"

Spidey looked behind him and saw Fletch holding on. There, they walked up together, ready to face the outside world. Spidey was the first to poke his head up, but upon doing so, he lowered his head straight away.

"Even if we had something to do there, it's not the choice we will prefer to make."

Fletch looked at him with a blank stare. "What do you mean?"

Spidey pulled Fletch above the ground and exposed him to the ground. While the surroundings looked fine, he instantly pointed on at the Imaginarium, which by then faced a rougher situation than imagined.

All the banners that surrounded the building were in flames, soon catching on to various garments inside as well. It was soon starting to spread towards the gardens, attempting to burn off all the shrubs and flowers that resided there.

All that Fletch could do was gasp on at horror as he saw the Imaginarium start to burn towards the ground. He took a hold on Spidey's hand and cowered behind him, maintaining a shocked and sorrowful expression towards this turn of events.

The fire from ahead flickered itself to form a moody red light upon everyone, and it was there that along with Fletch, one by one they started to show deep concern upon the blazing building. Eventually, Spidey took a step forward, clutching one of his fists.

"How are we supposed to counter this?" he asked everyone near him.

Darkwing placed his hands up like he was a figure of authority. "Never mind pondering about that now! The Imaginarium personnel could still be inside for all we care! We have to get in there and sort this out!"

"But why?" Sora asked. "We'll only get killed and have no chance of finding the Emperor!"

"No we will not!" shouted Jade as she brought out her stick, tempted to hit Sora and Darkwing upon the head. "Can you recall the Theoropolis motto?"

Darkwing jumped up and down like a cat with springs for feet. "I know! 'Never make cocktails out of cornflakes and grape juice.'"

"The other motto, Darkwing!"

"Is it to 'always follow your heart'?" Sora replied to her.

"That's the Kingdom Hearts Motto, Sora. Even you should know that. Anyway, it's 'Sacrifice for your city'. A former resident of the Imaginarium told me that philosophy, and we need to apply it right here and now."

Jade looked on at the others, soon leaving the others to gasp at the sight of her as her face started to form a determined smile. Her fingers twitched tightly as if she was encountering a town in a Spaghetti Western, as she looked back at the building.

Steadily, they all walked straight towards the front of the building, ready to find a way inside the burning building. By the time they got to the gates, they saw that many areas of the garden were seen caught on fire.

"Are you with me?" Jade asked the rest of the team.

The group all nodded together, and it was there that they went into an Olympic "get set" stance upon both of them. Jade managed to stand ahead and point on at the gates, where she made her run, with Spidey and Sora following suit.

"You heard what she said", shouted Darkwing to the others. "Run for it!"

And so, they all started to storm through the blazing gardens. Even though they managed to face a perilous route, they were all careful enough to end up going upon the rocky pathways that were left unable to burn.

The sight of the fire and the falling shrubs left Fletch to cringe as he ran, bringing his hands up on top of his head as he made his run. That left him to slow down slightly, leaving Sora to slow down and take a hold of his elbow with one of his hands, pushing them both back towards the others.

By the time they managed to get towards the main doors, the entire garden was set ablaze – every last flower, shrub and tree were raised in flames, sending in painful extremes of heat and smoke across the entrance.

The interiors didn't look any better either. Upon entrance, they ended up seeing the banners still ablaze and dropping apart, while at the same time various wooden scaffolds were seen dropping to the floor, attempting to block the group from the stairs leading up.

They managed to reach the second floor corridor and attempted to make their run there, but as soon as they made a good run through there, they saw a blazing wall of fire closing in thanks to the burning of the rug that stretched out and various other wooden scaffolding pieces fallen on top of it.

"Not that way!" Darkwing shouted with fear. "Fire's coming down way too fast!"

That left the group to start retreating for the most part. Fletch tried to wade past the fire, but before he could even go there, Sora quickly rushed back and took his hand – if he wasn't there half a second later, then he would have been crushed by another scaffolding piece.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Fletch asked him with worry. "Jak's quarters are up there!"

"It's not the only way up!"

Confused, all that Fletch could do was keep moving his feet and maintain his contact with Sora. There, they managed to re-join the others, when once there, he lead the way back towards the top of the second floor stairway.

Once there, they went up another corridor, going up towards a different tower. They went up the quieter corridors for that building in particular, and it was there that they saw a window outside, waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs to the third floor.

"This way!" Sora shouted to the others as he pointed outside.

"Thanks, Sora", Fletch smiled as he remained by his side as they started ascending the stairs. "But how do you know about this emergency route? Do you come here often?"

"Only to promote video-game ideas. I don't come here too often, but I still know this place like the back of my hand. So should anyone that would step into this place."

There, they made their rush outside. And the view of the blazing garden was seen right in front of them, leaving Fletch to feel more terrified as he made his step outside onto what felt like a stable platform.

He looked beneath him, and he saw that the ground he was on was more perilous than ever – a set of wooden floorboards leading around the outside of the tower. That left him to scream as he made his run up there, with Sora and Darkwing catching up with him.

Jade, Spidey, Ratchet and Joanna all followed suit after them, and as soon as that happened, the fire from the garden managed to catch onto the base of the route, causing the way back inside to crumble open.

As they ran, they looked up and saw some of the wooden floorboards from inside making their way outside. One in particular slammed onto a landing between Jade and Spidey, separating the former from the rest of the group.

"Help!" Jade screamed as she looked down. "The floorboards are giving in!"

Spidey brought out one of his hands, trying to reach for hers. "Hang on Jade!"

And then, the floorboard that she was in managed to break apart from the force of the fire, leaving her to make a fall straight towards the burning garden. In retaliation, Spidey shot out webs from his other hand.

There, they caught onto her torso, leaving her to swing her way straight to the wall, using her stick to bounce as she came towards it. That left her to gasp as she looked up at Spidey, looking down with a serious posture.

"Don't give in now. We need you more than ever!"

And just like that, he started to pull Jade up, leaving her to start making an ascent up the wall in an attempt to go and catch up with him, trying her best not to slip upon it as she made further progress upon it.

Then, she was brought back up to safety, and as soon as she did she tried to remove most of the webs that were stuck around her waist. Yet there wasn't enough time to remove everything, dare they face a similar situation again.

Further up the route, both Ratchet and Joanna were seen running together as they attempted to catch up towards Fletch. It seemed as if they had the fire off their minds as they made their run up the stairs themselves.

"Let's rip ya a new one!" shouted Ratchet as he reached a nearby obstacle of a dangling rock in front of them, once again bringing out his R.Y.3.N.O.

Joanna quickly pushed him as she made her dash. "Outta my way."

There, she made her run straight towards the rock itself, using her pistols to instantly shatter the rock into smithereens. She then ran through the explosion with a forward flip, before she continued to run down the stairs.

That left Ratchet to growl as he made his run straight towards Joanna, his fists shaking as he quickly placed his weapon away. As soon as he managed to catch up with her, he placed his hands tightly around her shoulders with a growl, causing them to both stop in their tracks.

Ratchet growled with her with anger. "I have a good urge to push YOU down the floorboards if this place wasn't crumbling apart!"

"Make me!"

Both gunners growled at each other as they did so, but it wasn't before a whistle distracted their attention. Both Jade and Spidey were seen running from nearby, ushering them both to keep making their run.

All four made their run together, hoping to get towards the top of the tower as it was. It wasn't long until they reached the top of the emergency route, being halfway up the largest tower in the set.

There, they all made their ways around the perimeter of that one, crossing over a stone bridge that separated them from Jak's tower. And as they did so, they found a roof hatch to go through to the interiors again.

They all jumped inside together, landing one by one. All four of them looked around their bearings, hoping to track down Fletch, Sora and Darkwing. And eventually, they were found, trying to push their way past a large bronze door.

Somehow, it got to the point that all seven of them charged at the same time, breaking the door's hinge as it did so. Right there, they were brought to the seventh floor in an instant – an intact place among the burning building. They looked around for several seconds, before the sound of a yelp was heard from nearby.

"I hear Jak!" Fletch screamed as he pointed towards the door to his quarters.

They all rushed straight towards the door, waiting to see what was behind the door. There, Fletch placed his hands upon it, hoping to feel a presence that was there before… but to no avail. The air just felt as mild as fresh air on a Sunday morning.

"It doesn't feel cold", he frowned. "I don't even know if it's that shadowy guy that started the fire."

Darkwing folded his arms upon the response. "Get with the times, Fletch. This place is too hot to catch a cold. What do you expect?"

Darkwing was left to look on at Fletch, whom could only share a confused glance black. There, that left them to make their progress towards the door itself, pushing hard to open it. Darkwing's force alone left it to almost shatter on its hinges.

And then, the door was made to be slightly open. There, one by one they went towards the door, waiting to see what was inside. Again, Fletch was left to be the one person remaining, still thinking about the cold air that he encountered when he first met Jak, and the lack of it when he would see him again this time.

"Stop pondering and just jump through the doors!" Darkwing commanded back to him.

By now, Fletch's hands were shaking, worried about what would happen when he would step inside. Would he meet the cause of the fire? Would he see Jak in trouble? Or would there be some other means of fate willing to bring them together?

Darkwing was left to come out himself, leaving him to bring his hands on top of Fletch's, trying to be of some form of guidance towards him. He gave out a small and warm smile towards him, leaving him to look back.

Feeling more reassured, they both walked inside the building together, hoping to take a look at the surroundings as they went inside. The room looked more trashed than it was when the shadow that attacked Jak earlier made its appearance inside.

Only this time, a figure was seen stepping over Jak, whom was seen lying on the floor, a laser gun nozzle placed towards his throat. The shadow was seen in darkness to begin with, until the blaze of the fire outside soon started to illuminate him.

On the sight of him, Sora, Jade and Ratchet were all instantly taken aback. It was as if they knew him personally, yet haven't seen him face to face before. It was a small man in a blue uniform, and with the distinguishable black scientists' hair and carved N on the forehead. Yet, Fletch didn't see much to fear in him upon his own glance.

"Oh no, it's him!" Jade whispered cautiously.

"What?" Fletch asked. "Is it the guy in there with Jak?"

"Yes, but it's not just any old guy. It's Senator Neo Cortex."

Fletch retained a blank stare. "Senator...?"

"There's eight of them that look after the city as a team alongside with the Emperor, the Chancellor and the Secretary", she managed to inform the boy. "But I don't understand what he'd be doing out here!"

Fletch looked back at him. Surely, a figure that small couldn't be fearful towards his journey home, let alone Guardian Jak? Alas, that's what it came to. It was at that glance that Sora quickly pulled Fletch down to the floor, whom still looked confused over the current situation.

Right in front of them, Cortex started to show a more sinister look upon him as he continued to look over Jak, his laser gun starting to look very threatening in the way that it was positioned like that.

"Why?" Jak flinched. "Why do you want to see me? Is it just so you can pick me apart?"

"Shut up, you clown!"

With a raise of the foot, he quickly placed it upon Jak's chest, causing him to yelp in his own position. He tried to retaliate by getting up, but to him, even if he did, he knew that there wasn't a single way out of the burning building.

And there, he tried to pull himself back upon a nearby sofa, trying to recover from the incident and escape from the laser gun that was brought out. He continued to look up at Cortex with a fearful look upon him.

"Please, what are you trying to do? I haven't done anything wrong to upset you!"

All that Cortex could do was bring his hand up in a stop motion, presumably to let Jak 'talk to the hand'. "Maybe not you in particular, but you will still be useful for what I plan to do with the city."

Jak's eyes widened as he heard those words come out from his mouth. And it was there that Cortex went into his coat and pulled out a dark violet orb. He raised it into the air, where it shattered with bright sparks of thunder, causing Jak to be lifted into the air all on his own.

"Put me down!" shouted Jak as he was seen paralyzed within the floating air. "Please, put me down!"

But no matter what, the power of the lightning and anti-gravity continued to leave Jak vulnerable as he was further surrounded by the bright purple energy. That left him to flinch as his parts got zapped one by one.

There, his legs vanished into thin air, followed by his chest, his arms, his neck and head in succession. All that remained in the end was nothing more than a purple misty shadow that was in his original place.

Cortex gave out a sinister set of laughter as the power of the shadow was being absorbed into the orb that he sent out, sinking itself among the surface and glowing with a bright white color placed onto it.

The lightning energy soon calmed down, leaving the room to be as dimly lit as before. By then, the orb ended up falling straight to the floor with a thud, glowing eerily with a lavender light around the surface.

"Yes!" Cortex shouted as he walked to the orb. "That's another capture complete. I can't believe how easy it will be just to make sure this city's hierarchy doesn't see the light of day."

Just like that, he took a hold onto the orb and managed to absorb its power. Though it still looked sharp and powerful upon its own glow, it still felt as if he managed to achieve a world of successes through the incident alone.

Calmly, he placed the gem within his pocket, and it wasn't long until a shadow managed to creep right over his body. He quickly looked over to his right and saw the doors to Jak's quarters opening wider than before.

"What do you think you're doing?" shouted Ratchet at the door.

He then made his charge straight towards him, running as sharply as he can while withdrawing what looked like a large wrench from a large brown pocket etched inside his pants. A growl was seen upon his face.

Faster and faster he ran towards Senator Cortex, whom just stood still calmly as the lombax looked more threatening to strike damage. And then, the two figures were merely a few inches away from each others' feet.

And then, as soon as Ratchet was about to make his collision, a poof of white smoke surrounded Cortex, leaving him to end up just going straight through the mist, unable to land any blows on him. He growled as he looked around, feeling as if he failed a secret mission.

"Drat! He got away!"

"Oh, may I suggest a more silent weapon next time?" Joanna said at the door, sarcastically. "Your stealth skills are pathetic."

Ratchet looked on at the scene and saw Joanna waiting there, twirling one of her pistols into the air with a smirk upon her. That left him to once again growl at her, thinking what she could have done better.

As that happened, the rest of the team went right into the middle of the room, looking around at the trashed surroundings. By then, the flickers of the fire from outside started to fade into a more purplish-orange color.

"I just can't believe this though", sighed Sora. "What would Senator Cortex want with Jak? I don't think they had any kind of connection in the past aside from hearing about a rumor that someone from Jak's adventures befriended him at one point."

Spidey placed one of his hands upon his chin, rubbing it gently. "I'm not too sure about this either, but whatever the result is, it just doesn't look too good for the Imaginarium."

"Hold it!"

The shout left them all to look straight to the door, and right there were some charcoaled shadows. Four of them were the peg-legged penguins from before, looking as if they were burnt on the way up.

In the middle of them stood Etna, looking as if her skin and clothes were covered in suit and some of the hairs in her pigtails were burnt down towards her scalp. With a growl, she got out her spear and approached the team.

"What have you done with Jak this time?" she interrogated everyone. "Admit it!"

"Someone just came in here and took them in front of our noses!" Darkwing answered back, waving his hands in the air as he did so.

Etna just lowered her head and shook it gently. "A likely story. Odds are you might have performed some out-of-the-hat magic trick. Tell me the truth, otherwise you'll get more than jail."

She pointed her spear out towards the others, continuing to growl and circle the others, with her tail and wings twitching as she made her surrounding. The peg-legged penguins followed by forming a circle with her around the group. While most of the team looked fearful, Joanna, however, looked more devious.

"So, you have an Elder Spear. It doesn't matter to us. We'll threaten you by tying you on a rope hanging out from the tower window, upside down! And even if you did attack us, there's no way you'll get Jak back now, isn't there?"

She pointed one of her pistols straight towards Etna, whom looked instantly sure that she would deflect the bullet with the Spear almost instantly. But it was there that she looked around the surroundings and saw the grimness of the situation for herself.

With Guardian Jak gone and no way to prove Fletch and his team to be guilty of the ordeal, it seemed as if she would struggle to get her way through no matter what happens. Eventually, she sighed and lowered her head.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. Still, in a situation like this, someone would have to take his place for the time being."

There, she withdrew her spear, leaving the peg-legged penguins to walk towards the front door and make their exit. She went to make her exit too, her expression starting to look so much more hopeful.

"How hard can it be?" she smirked as she turned back. "This turn of events could turn into one giant payoff!"

With a snicker, she made her way downstairs as graceful as a cat. Concerned for her safety due to the fire, the group managed to walk outside and look out of the window that they managed to come out from.

Because of Jade's incident there was no way that they would escape the way they came, but luckily for them, the fire was reduced to ashes on the ground being burnt – none of the intensity before would stop them from escaping the building.

With that in mind, they all held each others' hands as they started to make their way down the stairs, trying to maneuver past all the smoke that resulted from the blaze. To them, it felt as if it was the dusk of one era in the timeline of the Imaginarium.

* * *

The evening soon came, and by then the remaining flames were put out by a local fire team, consisting of a group of Lurkers – large purple furry creatures with yellow glowing eyes. Their collective work managed to leave the Imaginarium to cool off as it was. 

Yet, all that Fletch, Sora, Darkwing, Spidey, Jade, Ratchet, Joanna, Etna and the other workers of the Imaginarium could do was watch as their building was slowly being checked to make sure that it would be used once more.

The thoughts continued to echo in the evening when the announcement came that it would be safe to make its use once more; however, it would also mean that there would be restricted usage of various facilities, including many of its towers – all except the one containing the Guardian's quarters.

A meeting was then briefly scheduled between Fletch and Etna, whom then realized his true intentions from the encounter before, leaving him to hope to see him in the morning that would follow.

While it would feel easier for Fletch to get help from someone in the Imaginarium, even though the person did attempt to jail them for a crime they didn't commit, it didn't prevent the thoughts of the tower that managed to disrupt his sleep that night, in a nearby hostel a couple of blocks away from the burnt building.

As a result, he only got 30 minutes sleep, thinking hard about the catastrophic events from that night. Coupling that with homesickness and a desire to be near Han and Akumi once more, it was as if he was walking through a scene of a disaster movie, with what seems to be no way out.

* * *

Day 3

_Imaginarium (Sixth Floor), Blue Lurker District - 11:00 AM_

By the early hours of the following morning, the Imaginarium was open for business once more, yet only just. A few of the regulars of the building were seen doing their preparation businesses, but there was no one else among the bottom floors doing any similar tasks.

Yet, Fletch made his arrival for a different task. Over two hours before, he reached the sixth floor of the Guardian's tower and waited calmly to see Etna, thinking about the proposal he had from last night.

The minutes ticked away slowly, almost to the point that he dozed off in his seat, possibly intending to catch up on all the sleep he missed the previous night. A small vision consisting of flashbacks from the previous night surrounded his mind until… he felt a nudge on the shoulder.

"Fletch Davis?"

Fletch slowly opened his right eye, leaving him to focus on the figure that tapped him. And there, he saw one of Etna's peg-legged penguins. It went inside the pouch around its waist and pulled out a small silver cow skull.

It placed it within Fletch's hands, leaving him to look at it with a curious expression. He then looked at it from the bottom and saw a number etched upon it as if it was carved on with a table knife. 23, to be more precise.

"Acting Guardian Etna will be able to see you now, dood."

Taking the comment into account, Fletch managed to stand up from his seat and followed the peg-legged penguin up the stairs, making his way up there with his hands touching the rail and his other hand taking a hold of the skull.

They then reached Jak's old quarters, and as soon as they got there, the penguin opened the door and brought Fletch inside. Instead of Jak welcoming him though, Etna was seen in the desk, with her hands locked tightly on the top of it.

"Sit down", she commanded.

The penguin left the room, leaving Fletch to look for a stool. And there, he saw one right next to Etna. He placed the cow skull on the window landing and took his seat at the opposite side of the desk to where she was.

"Now, I've heard from Ratchet and Joanna that you want to track down Emperor Ariel, right?" she asked the boy.

"That's true", nodded Fletch. "I've heard that this city will make a change if he's not there doing his duty. I don't know why yet, but I want to know."

"Oh, you are a charming little boy", Etna said with a seductive smile.

With that, she managed to stand up from her stool and make a walk around the room, as steadily and graceful as she could. Her tail was seen twitching from side to side, with her wings slowly flapping around in the wind to match.

Eventually, her walking was fixed into one small direction – the closet that Jak focused on the night before. She continued to make her progress, and as soon as she did she made a stop and opened the doors wide open.

"I know that your route will contain more perils than you can imagine, some of them being worse than what happened here last night", Etna continued with a sigh. "However, I will be happy to give this to you to wield on your travels. You had such great talent with spotting the actual culprit of Jak's attempted assassination, and with this I hope you take your figure-spotting to the next level."

There, she rooted inside and saw the metallic point that Jak saw the other night. She took it out into the open and showed it for herself – it looked like a lance-type weapon, with the point etched onto a titanium pole.

"This is Ariel's Spear of Visions", Etna introduced the weapon by laying it flat on the worktop. "This has been here since the time of the Ancient Greeks, ready for the Guardian of the Imaginarium to utilize in any means of combat that come across them. Because of its links with other dominant forces upon the city, it can pass on vibrations to the direction of the Emperor, wherever he could be by now."

Fletch continued to gasp at the weapon with wonder. "So by using this, I will be able to track him down and focus on my friends at the same time?"

"If you put it that way, then yes."

She gave out an ambitious smile as she looked on at the spear. There, she pushed it across the table, leaving Fletch to place one hand upon the titanium bar. It felt almost as cold as the shadow the night before, but still channeled a varying degree of warm and cold energies.

"Oh, by the way, can you please take Ratchet and Joanna with you?" she pleaded next. "I know they're both studying here, but they should be of great help for the Imaginarium should they provide the traits they can offer to us."

Fletch gave off a happy nod. "I think I was close to befriending them anyway, so I'll be happy to take them."

Fletch gave off a small smile as he picked up the spear and made his walk straight towards the exit. But before he could do that, he extended one hand and brought it into a handshake to match with Etna.

"Thank you Etna. I hope things go okay in your temporary guardian job."

And with that, he gave off a small salute towards her, maintained a tight grasp upon the spear and started to walk outside. He opened the polished doors himself and started to make his descent down the stairs.

Once he was out of sight, Etna looked on at the door, and then the prinny that brought Fletch into the room, and then her own two hands. She gave off a sinister smile before she looked out of the window.

"Oh, I'll make it so worthwhile, believe me", she spoke to herself with a small wink. "You ain't seen nothing yet."

With a small cackle she paid close attention towards the window view. The gardens below were far from repair, and could take a varying degree from months to years to restore the exterior to its former glory.

She then continued to look on towards the bright blue skies that showed up. Gradually, various blackbirds managed to surround the scene and creep up upon the decaying grass, on the hope on scavenging for food.

And then, bearing the scenery in mind, she sat down at the desk and took a hold on an empty parchment. She then took an inked quill feather and started to write a letter, with the recepitant being only in her mind at the moment.

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs, Fletch was seen making his way down the stairs, running as he managed to keep his spear steady. It didn't take long until he even reached the third floor, let alone the entrance lounge. 

As soon as he reached the top of the stairs that lead to the second floor, Sora, Darkwing, Jade, Spidey, Ratchet and Joanna all saw the boy and his newfound weapon. There were many expressions of wonder among them as they came to see him.

Fletch then made his progression down the stairs, trying his best not to trip up as he made haste while getting down. And as soon as he did so, he came to an immediate stop in front of Sora, whom showed keen interest in the weapon.

"Fletch, what's that you're holding?" Sora asked as he touched the titanium rod.

"If anything's going to get us close to the Emperor, this spear should work", replied Fletch. "Etna said it's been in this building for generations."

He raised the spear into the air, showing it upon its full majesty in front of the rest of the group. It was seen glowing with an intense white mist for a couple of seconds, before restoring itself to its regular state.

"I guess we shouldn't overestimate the power of steel, after all", Sora responded with a smile.

There, he ended up lowering the spear just a little bit more as he made a further walk towards the entrance. He then pointed the spear outside, trying to concentrate on the energy that would surround it.

"It's too premature to tell where we should go just yet", he sighed. "Besides, Etna told me that Ratchet and Joanna should be taken with us, for the 'better of the Imaginarium' that she mentioned to me.

He turned towards both Ratchet and Joanna, whom ended up looking at Fletch, and then at each other. After being in deep thought for several seconds at a time, they both made a step forward and expressed gratitude by simple gentle head nods.

"We'll do it", replied Ratchet with a thumbs-up hand gesture.

Fletch looked straight on at Ratchet, whom came towards him and instantly gave him a pat on the shoulder. Though Sora acted more like a guardian to him throughout his journey so far, it felt as if Ratchet and Joanna could be another pair to help him feel easy.

There, Ratchet walked on towards Sora, Fletch, Spidey and Jade, leaving them in a clustered pickle of a group. But it didn't take long until Joanna started to step towards the group, opening her mouth to speak and express her point of view.

"Bear in mind that we are not doing this for the Imaginarium's business", she spoke with a shake of the head. "We are aware of what's been going on outside this building, whether it is in the city or the outside world, and we would rather be there to make a difference to them than a greedy swine like Etna."

Joanna growled as she looked straight up the Imaginarium stairs. To think that eventually, she could get her own photo frame for doing nothing at all, which could end up leaving the Imaginarium in a rough state as it was.

Luckily for her, Jade also seemed to follow her actions. There, having thought of how the Imaginarium could change over time, she ended up lowering her head and making her way straight towards her.

"I can't have said it better", said Jade. "You are sounding like one of us already."

Jade ended up placing one of her hands upon Joanna's body, leaving her to smile back at her with a great and ambitious smile upon her. There, they both looked towards the outside door, awaiting to see what was out there.

Meanwhile, Ratchet was seen leering over at Joanna, not too surprised that she would be the one to get praised for coming up with such commentary as that. Before he would even shout at her, Spidey came to him and instantly sealed his mouth with his hands.

"Ratchet, get over yourself!" he quickly commanded to the lombax. "Just because she got praised like that doesn't mean that you can't at some interval. I know that your skills will come in handy."

"As long as she doesn't have something like a gun that can fix robots or anything", he growled under his breath.

"That's the spirit. Just keep your chin up high and we'll get through this."

Spidey managed to bring his arm into a small lock around Ratchet's, whom couldn't help but give out a hesitant smile. What did fixing robots have to do at a time like this? Those words were thought quietly to himself; only time would tell on whether the skill would be useful.

It wasn't long until they all started to head towards the Imaginarium entrance together, ready to see the bright world ahead of them. But their way in was so much different from the way out, no thanks to the fire.

"Would you look at that", Darkwing smiled. "I haven't seen a sky as perfect as this in a while."

Fletch continued to focus on the ruins of the garden more than anything. "I can't be too sure about the Imaginarium's exterior, but no matter what, this'll make the perfect setting for the next stage of the journey."

And so, they all stepped outside together. Unlike the feeling of passion that they faced as they stepped into the majestic gardens, stepping out towards the new ruined and burnt gardens felt like they were walking through purgatory.

It didn't take long for them to meander through the untouched brick path and its surrounding burnt plants to make their way back towards the street. Aside from the Imaginarium from the resulting fire, the rest of the district still looked beautiful to see.

This time, there were seen to be more Lurkers on patrol than the usual, marching up and down the streets to make sure that the citizens that reside inside are all kept at bay. It could lead to an oppressive society, but it would look better than nothing.

It didn't take long until Fletch pointed the Spear up into the air, hoping to channel the energy once more. This time, the mist formed again, and the energy was sent flowing through his body. A decision was then made.

"It's pointing north!" he shouted with a higher pitch than the usual. "Come on!"

He pointed straight up, and it was there that they all made their dash straight towards the northern regions of the district, trying their best to wade past the Lurker guards as they managed to do so.

They then managed to reach a checkpoint, which seemed to be tighter in its security by having six guards surrounding it rather than the usual two. But it was still plain sailing to make their way out, thanks to the use of Spyro's copy of the emblem on their exit.

Emerging from one security-packed district into a different other, the group then knew that now that they have the spear, they could get closer and closer towards Ariel than they thought. It's only a matter of time before they would even be seen standing face to face with him.

The only question that settles on their mind is what they should do as soon as they see him. Their journey to recover the various kidnapped residents of the city – Crash, Rayman, and now Guardian Jak – as well as locating Fletch's own companions – Han and Akumi – was going to take a more ambitious twist than the usual.

And it is all thanks to the power of the Spear of Visions that they will make a greater progression on their journey.

_-end of chapter-_


	6. The Goose's Heart

AUTHOR NOTES

Great, now I'm back to square one. My past few chapters got no responses in general, no one cares about how Ratchet and Joanna Dark got involved, and people are reading more OOC/yaoi fiction. Sorry if I over-emphasized the last assumption.

Might as well take time to introduce you to chapter five, which is a bit of a shorter chapter, I can admit. The main purpose in this is to start using Fletch's Spear of Visions as a tool to trace Emperor Ariel. However, though it is a useful asset, there's bound to be several obstacles that would jam the path for just a few more chapters. This also introduces Dimitri the lounge lizard from the Sly Cooper series of games; someone requested me to get a grudge going between him and Spider-Man, and I hope to work on that as the chapters roll on.

Anyway, thanks for your responses, if any. I really appreciate it this time oo

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_My wounds took several weeks to be able to recover from. That meant I had to be confined inside my own home for what seemed like eternity, being deprived of education and the chance to socialize with the friends that I had._

_For days at a time, I was left alone to feed and clean for myself, given homework delivered home by my mother when appropriate. It wasn't the most comfortable experience that I have ever had, but it was better than being in a hospital bed._

_Upon the final few days of my recovery, still maintaining some kind of white bandana upon my eye to heal, I ended up going inside Akumi's room to clean it as usual, when all of a sudden a bunch of papers caught my attention._

_"Akumi?" I spoke aloud to myself._

_It was there that I saw plans for some kind of hut that she plans to create in the near future. But to me, the intentions of the hut did not look very safe to my knowledge, so it's by that that I had to take matters into my own hands._

_As soon as she came home from school, I instantly raced towards the front door, stood in front of her and showed one of the most menacing facial expressions any sister could witness upon her brother. I then placed the papers in front of her face, showing them towards her._

_"Akumi, are you intending on getting me killed?" I screamed towards her._

_She didn't respond. All she could do is stand there with her face starting to turn as white as a sheet. And then, her eyes started to quiver, and before long she ran straight into the kitchen in tears._

_It was then that I regretted my approach. And it was only fair that I would calmly go towards her and see if I can sort things out. I suppose this must be one of the emotional side-effects of the goose attack._

_"Now look, I didn't mean to upset you like that", I tried to reconcile with her. "How can you get all sensitive at a time like this?"_

_She turned towards me, her eyes looking completely red. "What have I done wrong now? I can't even kill a fly, so why should I harm you?"_

_I tried to answer that question. Indeed, Akumi was right on that she would never go as far as to poking someone in the eye, let alone causing grievous bodily harm. Thinking back on that, I looked at the papers once more._

_I needed to show the purpose to Akumi as a reminder. And so, I ended up placing them onto the desktop, waiting for her to pick them up. And as she did so, she took a close look through them part by part._

_She looked at them, then at me, and at them again, and at me again. For her, two and two were starting to be put together. And eventually, her face calmed down to the point that she felt more relaxed, though still really subdued._

_"Oh, the goose farm", she said quietly, revealing the documents' intentions._

_I thought hard about the goose that attacked me the other day. Since then I wouldn't dare go down to the local petting zoo on the fear that I might even get attacked again. Those creatures could end up biting Akumi's nose off if she goes too close or something like that._

_"Those animals are a passion to me. I have a memory from when I was 12-18 months old, running around their graceful bodies and bringing my hands upon them."_

_Her mouth suddenly went into a smile for one split second. I did understand that she had a very strong passion for the Animal Kingdom, as well as acknowledging that she can have a more powerful memory than most kids of her age. My earliest childhood memory can only go as far back as being three or four years old._

_She lowered her head again, her pigtails trying to obscure her face. "But how can I when I haven't even been to a farm in my life?"_

_I haven't been to one either, yet it might have been something that her parents might have done before they brought her to us. But after the day's events, I would rather not share the autistic news that I was told my mother just yet._

_But still, the fact remains that there was no way that I would get harmed by such powerful creatures. I really needed to stand up for myself, even though it was relating to something that she loved to see._

_"Either way, if you do run a goose farm", I spoke with caution, "be careful that none of those things try to hit ME. I just wish it doesn't happen."_

_"Why?" she asked cutely._

_"It's those white monsters that took my eye. Do you want them to take my other one?"_

_I went straight towards her and pointed towards the white eye patch that covered my left eye. She went towards it and tried to touch it, but I instantly backed off on the fear that it could sting painfully and terribly._

_Akumi then resorted to just stroking me on the shoulder. "No matter what, even if it does take your eye, I'm still having this farm. I love animals, and this is the best I can do to live up to that dream - plan it one step at a time."_

_"But..."_

_I would have wanted to make a valid argument against her, but firstly, there was no time for that, and secondly, there's no point on doing it with a single person who would end up falling in tears once I start mentioning the negative parts._

_Quietly, I left the kitchen and made my walk straight back to my room, hoping to settle down once more. And once I was there, I closed the door and looked on at whatever videogames I had, hoping to play on them._

_I just hoped it wouldn't be long until I will be free to make my walk into the outside world once again. And when I do, my mission statement would be to go out there and find someone that can understand what kind of ordeal I have undergone._

* * *

Day 3

_Yellow Echidna District - 5:25PM_

For a great chunk of the day, Fletch managed to guide the group across the northern-center districts of the town, hoping to locate Emperor Ariel and seek for his advice to restore the city and relocate Han and Akumi.

But it didn't take too long until rain started to fall down. It began as a small drizzle, and then it started to develop into heavier droplets coming straight down towards the ground, forming giant puddles around the group.

Eventually, they retreated by making their way towards a run-down shack in the Yellow Echidna District, where various yellow flying Chao – small creatures resembling raindrops – were seen guarding various travelers out of the rain and into sheltered tunnels under the city.

"Trust the rains to start crashing down at a time like this", whispered Jade as she made her way inside.

"Yeah", Darkwing shouted with a shiver. "I may be the terror that flaps in the night, but I'm not going out without a raincoat."

With that, both of them went straight inside the shack, with Fletch and the rest of the gang to make their way later on. They were covered in darkness on entry, but for them it seemed so much better than having to deal with rainwater.

As the rain slowly started to evolve into a thunderstorm, Ratchet and Joanna watched the action from out of the window, lucky that they managed to find shelter that will protect them from the falling water.

As that happened, the group managed to light up a main room with small candles that were seen scattered around, thanks to Sora igniting it with fire coming out from his keyblade. As soon as everyone settled onto cardboard boxes, Spider-Man ended up paying attention straight towards Fletch, whom started to show a face of concern.

"Fletch? Are you okay?" he asked him.

Cautiously, he managed to get off his seat and make his way towards the boy. As he stood right next to him, he placed a hand upon his shoulder, causing the boy to look up with a worried expression on him.

"I know this place is run down", Spidey started with a sympathetic tone, but we have to stay here for the night."

"It's not that", said Sora as he stood up from his seat.

He looked on at Fletch and saw him lowering his head once more, bringing it further into the darkness. It was there that Sora instantly crouched down and took a better view of the boy's facial expressions.

"I've seen that face before back at Club Ubi", Sora began speaking again. "It's probably homesickness."

Fletch gave out a sorrowful nod. "You've got that right."

Fletch raised his head up once more, bringing his eyes across his companions one by one. There, he sighed and stood up on both feet, his face turning into a half-smile half-anguish look upon him.

"You guys are really great company to me, and I'm growing to like you all, but every day I spend in this city, I'm missing my family and friends."

He looked down once more and went inside one of his own shorts pockets. Once there, he pulled out a small photograph without a frame. He looked on at it, and saw a small photo of himself with Han and Akumi.

"Even more so, seeing Han and Akumi get lost here before I arrived here is making me more and more worried about them." He sighed gently, trying to regain his nerves. "I don't want them to get eaten by bears or anything."

"You'll find them", Ratchet reassured him. "I've been on enough adventures to know that good things happen in the end."

Ratchet gave off a small smile as he came closer towards the boy, stroking him down the back as he managed to come to mere inches away from his feet. That left him to look up straight away, maintaining eye contact with the lombax.

"I hope you're right", Fletch replied as he looked up.

Joanna, however, looked on with a less-than-joyful look. "Though I'd rather not have my head up for this happy ending you want, I'm sure you'll be able to find what you're looking for."

With a more stern expression, Joanna stood up on both feet and went inside one of her own pockets upon her tight pants. She then pulled out what looked like a small paper pouch and passed it to Fletch.

"Here, maybe this should calm you down."

She then went straight towards him, to the point that she was standing right to the side of Ratchet. And once there, the pouch was placed straight into Fletch's hands, leaving him to look on at its cover.

And there, he saw the cover. Right on the front of it was the picture of a small apple-like fruit with a green-yellow-red tint in its shading. The words "Wumpa Whip Formulae" were written on them in bright pink letters.

"Some walking piece of fruit in the Imaginarium gave some samples of this to me", Joanna said with a smile. "They do good wonders to your mood if watered down correctly. It works best before sleeping."

Fletch looked on at the pouch and turned it around on the other side. And there, he started to scan read the instructions before being able to read them in closer detail and knowing what was needed to be done.

His thoughts started to rapidly fly through his head; it was there that he started to feel that this can help him settle down so much, even though it seemed like a foreign substance. But surely it couldn't be different from any other fruit drink?

He looked up towards Joanna with a small smile. "Thank you."

With that, the group was left to their own devices as they settled into the ruined shack for the evening. With the rains continuing to crash down hour after hour, there was no way that they could even be able to escape from the building before daybreak.

And so, they settled into their time talking to each other and occasionally playing some group games with whatever junk elements they could find, notably trying to play tiddlywinks with flakes of wax and a run down coffee table with a lead bar stood up in the middle of it.

Once again, Fletch felt that he was spending another night away from the comfort of his home in Fort Pearl. But no matter what, he knew for sure that his traveling companions are willing to do anything to make him feel more comfortable, regardless of whether he could eventually stick around for a few more days or a few more months.

* * *

The rains continued to thunder down vigorously outside, causing large streams of water flowing down the sloped streets and heading their way into the sewers running right underneath the pavement.

But the rain didn't stop for a pair of cloaked figures to make their way through the building, one being only just taller than the other. They walked with a majestic walk towards the ruined shack, both of them wearing deep indigo cloaks around them.

The shorter figure made its way straight underneath a bus shelter and brought his face into the light. The distinguishable features of orange scaly skin and menacing green eyes showed him to be Ripto.

"Take a look inside there", he gestured to the other cloaked figure. "The friend you once knew has a new gang to call family."

He pointed straight on at the shack with one of his hands, leading the other cloaked figure to look straight on at the window for himself. The view of Fletch attempting to play tiddlywinks with his companions managed to catch his glowing green eyes.

Ripto turned to his accomplice to speak once again. "And together, they are planning to track down the Emperor and ally with him. This is undesirable considering this place's mission."

He then went straight towards the other cloaked figure and stood by his feet. Then, both figures fixed their gaze upon one another, now sure that they have seen Fletch but not in the manner that they were expecting.

"Of course, were it up to him, he would have chickened out like he usually would", Ripto said with a cackle. "But no, I don't think doing this sort of action would make him so much of a friend now, wouldn't he?"

The other figure had to give out a solemn nod before looking back towards the window. It's a rare instance – in spite of being some distance away from his regular home, Fletch seemed to look really happy.

By that, the taller figure lowered its head and went straight underneath the bus shelter with Ripto, being sure to allow some of the rain water on its coat to fall straight to the floor before anything else could be done.

And then, it managed to remove its hood. The toggles were untied, and its face was revealed straight away – an outsider with blonde hair covered with a small silver top-hat, and glowing green eyes to match. The figure was, indeed, Han.

"There's no need to speak, young man", said Ripto as he brought up his hand. "Your expression has pretty much said everything."

He looked on at Han, whose face by that time started to hold shock and grave anguish upon it. Maybe Ripto seemed to be right – with what he was doing in there, maybe he was completely forgetting his best friend.

"On top of that, I am sure we'll also be able to offer help to your dear female friend too. She is very important to you, yes?"

Both figures fixed their gaze once more, and as that happened, he brought out a small scepter from him, revealing a hologram of Akumi walking. Han concentrated on it, determined to seek for her.

"If that's the case, follow my lead and everything will be made so much better", he said with a hand gesture towards Han. "I will assure you that things will go as perfect as they should be."

With that, he brought his hood back up and walked out from under the bus shelter back into the rain. Han soon managed to follow suit, and that left them to start traversing through the wet streets as the water started to sink in.

That left them both to start walking straight towards the edge of the district, where looking over there, they saw two guards sleeping nearby. Odds are there was no way to get back, they thought to themselves.

But not according to Ripto, as he lifted his scepter straight into the air and sent him and Han around a glowing green orb. Several seconds later, the orb vanished into thin air, leaving the two to make their way towards their next destination, wherever it is.

* * *

Day 4

_The Abandoned Shack, Yellow Echidna District - 9:30AM_

As the sun rose, the rains slowly came to a stop. Its hanging upon the sky ended up causing a rainbow going right across the horizon, with the light intensity from that and the daylight glowing intensely among the many puddles that were left behind.

Inside the abandoned shack, Ratchet and Joanna were seen sitting over a small campfire made out of several wax candles, cooking eggs. Both of them leered upon one another, wondering who would pinch the best ones.

Just before the eggs were ready, Fletch ended up making his walk into the room. And his right eye ended up showing that he was more refreshed than he could be via drinking several cups of coffee.

"Good morning, Fletch!" greeted Ratchet with a cheerful tone. "How are you today?"

"A little better, I guess. The Wumpa Whip must have been a help."

He smiled as be brought out his own hand, which carried an empty plastic cup with moderate green and red powder stains. He gave out a small smile as he placed it in a nearby trash bin not far from the door.

"That doesn't mean that I'll forget about Akumi and Han so easily", Fletch continued with a smile. "I'm going to fight to the end to make sure they'll reach my side."

"That's excellent of you", said Joanna as she smiled back. "I hope that attitude will be maintained as we continue our journey today."

As that happened, a burnt smell started to linger the room. Ratchet and Joanna looked down at the eggs, and right there the yolk was set to explode. Ratchet tried to bring back the pan, but the yolk exploded in his face as soon as they got to him, leaving him with yellow stains all around it.

Fletch couldn't help but smile at the incident, but his facial expression soon turned serious as he ended up trying to track down his remaining companions. And there they were, standing and looking out of a nearby window.

He quickly ran straight towards them, his feet steadily sliding upon the ground as he did so. Once there, he brought his head between Sora and Darkwing and looked through the window view, where they ended up getting notice of various landmarks in the distance.

"So where do you think we should go today?" Sora asked the others.

Darkwing managed to look observant with his surroundings as he looked through the window. "Maybe we could take the north-west to John Moors by going through the White Dragonfly district, or we can just keep going north to that rural posture over there. This city's too big to fully explore."

The group ended up looking among one another, curious over where to go. As that happened, Jade and Spidey both backed away from the window and looked around the ruined shack for themselves.

She looked up to the ceiling as she made her next concern. "If we got more help, this would be so much easier, but where would we find it in a dingy shack like this?"

"We'll find it somewhere, I'm sure."

Spidey ended up placing a hand upon Jade's shoulder, leaving her to look straight on towards him. And it was there that they felt comfortable regardless of the current situation that they were in.

As that happened, Fletch picked up his spear, and raised it into the air. Several moments of concentration passed before he could get the energy channeling through him and coming to a conclusion on Ariel's location.

"Somehow, the spear seems to be pointing to the North West. Should we head there?"

"I suppose we can give that a shot", Jade replied with a blink.

Jade gave out a confident smile as she looked towards the window pointing in the North West location, but by the time she got there, her face almost dropped straight to the ground by the sight of a tall and foreboding castle in the distance.

"But by the looks of the view from here, it doesn't look too friendly", Jade sighed.

"That shouldn't be a problem", said Ratchet from a distance. "If in doubt, use serious firepower."

Ratchet gave off a confident smile in spite of the burns from the exploding egg yolk. He was then left to end up covering his face with a wet tea towel in the hopes of calming everything down upon his face.

As the group managed to settle into the middle of the room, it didn't seem to be too long until a cold air started to blow through. Spider-Man instantly stood up, and looked around the room. Though nothing could be seen or heard, his anatomy showed a tense stance.

"Everyone, look out!"

And from right above them, there came a shadowy figure jumping straight down in the middle of the room. As soon as it landed there, it showed itself in full as a mystery figure in a purple cloak. A very familiar purple cloak.

At the sight of him, Fletch's face instantly turned white at the glance of it. If only if he knew the intention of the creatures for himself, then it would feel so much easier, but instead, all he could do was back off.

"Not you again!!" Sora shouted as he withdrew his keyblade.

There, the cloaked figure ended up jumping up into the air, using its concealed hands to do a few Capoeira moves before leering on at the others, all of its flesh completely covered with the purple cloth.

"It's those guys that attacked me before you and Darkwing saved me!" Fletch shouted. "What should we do?"

"We fight", replied Sora. "There's no other option!"

And so, it was there that the group started to surround the cloaked figure, whom ended up using all sorts of break-dance-style moves to end up assaulting on the varying degree of team members. That instantly knocked Ratchet, Joanna and Spidey out of the way in one do.

There, Fletch looked down at his own spear, and thought cautiously. Could it now be a way of self-defense now that he has it? With that, he managed to grit a hold of his teeth and raised the spear high into the air, as if he was ready to throw a javelin.

And there, he ended up making his run straight towards the cloaked creature, ready to attempt to inflict damage. He pushed it forward several times, but as he did so, all that the cloaked creature could do was move around and dodge every single attack.

"How should I stab this thing?" Fletch began to squeal. "Help!"

Fletch started to grow more hesitant as he stabbed more and more inaccurately. Though he did have the spear to be able to locate Ariel with, how can he even try and fight with something as powerful as that?

Just as when he thought he would get trapped, Sora ended up jumping over the creature and stepped in front of Fletch, using his keyblade to start attacking the purple creature and knocking him away from the boy.

"Thanks Sora!" he shouted with relief. "I thought he had me!"

Fletch was left to smile as Sora valiantly fought on and used his keyblade to cause as much damage as possible. But his stream of attacks soon ended as soon as the creature started using its arms more efficiently to block the offensive power.

And then, the creature decided to retaliate itself, by jumping straight into the air and onto a nearby ledge. As it did so, Ratchet managed to stand so that he was nose to nose with the creature, if it even had a nose behind its hood.

"This is just my repertoire!" shouted Ratchet as he pointed his R.Y.3.N.O. "Eat dust, sucke-"

"Out of my way!"

Just like that, Joanna quickly made her jump straight in front of the lombax, pointing her rocket launcher straight on at the creature. She fired it, and ended up missing the creature as soon as it ended up jumping out of the way.

The rocket itself ended up striking the wall, causing the supports for the ledge to break away and end up falling straight towards the floor in a crumpled heap. As that happened, Ratchet once again stood in front of her, showing an angry glance.

"Joanna??" he growled at her. "Why are you always trying to hog the spotlight?"

All that Joanna could do was look down and shake her head. "Remember the morale - shoot first, speak later."

She ended up leering back at Ratchet just as much as he did to her as a result, leaving them both to go their separate ways around the room. Though they didn't face good reactions upon one another, the priority still remained to combat the cloaked creature and escape alive.

The creature once again ended up leaping right into the middle of the room, focusing its vision upon the other remaining team mates. And there, it brought out both hands, causing numerous pulses of wind energy to surround the room.

While most of the group were being thrown away to the sides of the room upon doing so, Jade ended up retaliating by using her stick to dig into the ground. By the time the wind stopped, she raised it into the air, where it simmered with a bright cyan color.

"Feel the power of the Daï-jo!" she shouted as she came closer.

She made her dash straight towards the creature and sent out several bursts of energy and the occasional strike with the stick's body, in a fair attempt to give the creature a very fair run for its own money.

A dangerous fight emerged between the pair of them, which ended up resulting with Jade getting the upper hand with the attacks she ended up holding. And it wasn't long until they ended up getting into a corner of the room due to the heavy combat.

But once there, the creature's body suddenly started to glow an eerie lavender color. While she did everything she could to form a barrier from the magic of her stick, it didn't take too long for the creature to launch a blast of light that penetrated even that.

"Ouch!" she flinched.

Spidey looked on at the scene nearby, crawling onto a wall as he did so. "Hang on Jade!"

Quickly, Jade ended up crashing to the floor underneath a shelf, where she looked on at the cloaked creature in a slight daze. But it wasn't long until various streams of web were being hurled at the floor, leaving the creature to quickly stand out of the way.

Spider-Man was seen crawling among the ceiling, trying his best to use his web slingers to capture the creature, but it ended up jumping around like an acrobat to the point of dodging them all.

"He's just too fast! How can I handle him?"

With hesitance, he started to make his way to a nearby chandelier and used his legs to lock onto it, before using two hands at once to capture him. But not even that seemed to work as well as it should.

It was as if no matter what happens, the cloaked creature was sure to give them a rough time and would use the group for whatever deeds it requires, no matter how high their determination to escape that scenario would be. But…

"Yeeeargh!!!"

Spidey's head rose at the sound of the voice. "Darkwing!"

Quickly but surely, Spidey ended up making his way away from the chandelier and making his journey straight towards a nearby door while crawling upon the ceiling. From his position, the screams seemed to indicate a sign of peril.

Indeed they did, as there was smoke starting to come out from the door. That left the purple cloaked creature to stop and sniff, leaving it to turn towards it quicker than the rest of the team combined.

And then, Darkwing ended up making his run out from the door, starting to scream while hopping up and down on one foot, swapping a foot every now and again. All that Spidey could do was look on with disbelief.

"Darkwing, what have you done?"

Right there, Darkwing was seen with his cloak catching fire. Surely he should even know how to 'stop, drop and roll', he thought to himself. But alas, all that can be done is watching from his position as he saw Darkwing cause more chaos than assumed.

He started by ending up tripping up over the ruined shelf from earlier, leaving him to fall straight to the ground, allowing the fire to end up catching onto a nearby stream of wood among the floor, leading up to the ceiling, rolling on the floor to put out the fire on his cloak as he did so.

Like a strong fuse, much of the flames on the planks ended up making their way up to the ceiling at an alarming rate, as they ended up leading their way up to one object in particular – the chandelier that Spider-Man used earlier.

It snapped from its position, making its way towards the purple cloaked creature, landing securely upon its head before it could even notice. Obscured when it came to vision, it tried to find its way around, but instead would trip up over various other bits of junk.

The rest of the team were left to watch as various shelves and ornaments fell upon its head, with the rate increasing with every bit of décor knocked into, until eventually it was covered head-to-toe in decaying china and wooden planks.

"Darkwing!!" Spidey shouted as he came towards him, collapsed near the used plank 'fuse'.

"Ugh... mommy?"

In a daze, he used his arms to push his body up from that position. And the first thing he saw was the purple cloaked creature completely trapped within the rubble. With a gasp, he ended up crawling his way over, curious to see what happened.

"Did I... do that?"

"I don't know what you did", Sora started, "but you were a powerhouse to trap him like that."

There, Sora ended up crouching down to Darkwing, and helping him straight to his feet as he did that. He even ended up feeling the cloak, which by then showed some deep black marks upon them. Surely he'd need a change sooner or later.

"Should we escape while we still can, and try and go to that castle place?" Sora asked the rest of the team.

"I shan't do that if I was you, bro", said a voice with a Caribbean accent.

They looked upon the rubble, and just like that, it was starting to shake. The hand of the purple cloaked creature showed itself for once, revealing a slightly lighter shade of purple on its skin and deep black claws.

It then pulled itself straight from the rubble with that one hand, first bringing up its still-obscured head, and then the other arm. And with both arms, the torso was pulled up. It was almost as if the group was seeing a zombie movie made for children.

And then, the creature managed to step out with its legs, slowly but gradually. Having made its escape, it looked on at the gang with a vicious look upon them, where most of them looked on with curiosity back.

"The John Moors district is covered with a deadly force that no one has been able to penetrate", it said in a threatening tone. "Only a special key can allow people to cross over."

Spidey's head was raised at the sound of its voice. "Dimitri?"

With that response, the creature removed its hood, showing him to be a lounge lizard with blue hair among his head and chin and glowing red irises and yellow sclera to make up his sleek eyes. Pink lips managed to grace his mouth to match.

"I'm surprised you caught on, fly-boy."

That response left Spidey to step forward with his fists clenched. "That's Spider-Man!"

"Whatever, yo. Why should I do anything to assist someone that would do more to build up some decaying bar like Club Ubi than helping out with the grand opening of Chez Klaww?"

"Chez Klaww?" Sora pondered to himself.

Fletch looked around from his viewpoint. "It must have been this old place, I think."

And there, the group looked around at the remaining parts of the room they were in. Of course, the candles and the décor and the china among other things would add up to see this as a potential restaurant.

But yet, seeing it fail to get off the ground would feel rough on Dimitri if they thought of it that way. Yet the fact remains that he did a grave action to Fletch within hours of his first steps into the city. With that, Darkwing stepped forward to make his proclamation.

"Never mind about this shack", Darkwing started again. "You were one of the people that tried to attack Fletchy-boy here at the start. What gives? Did you have a merman for a brother or something?"

"You get yo' claws off my bleeding heart!" the lounge lizard retaliated. "All I was told was that if I need to find the Emperor, I've to find him before you dare bring your claws near him!"

"What makes you think we'll assassinate him?" Fletch asked with worry. "I was told by Fox McCloud to track him down and work together to deal with recovering all these missing people as of late. Crash Bandicoot, Rayman and Guardian Jak have all vanished in the past few days."

Upon hearing the voices, Dimitri ended up flinching every now and again, sure that the group must have faced a rough ride just to end up getting there. Eventually, he recomposed himself and looked at the group with a more serious look.

"It is true that Theoropolis is goin' into da' ghetto, but since you said you're going to help recover some of these missing people, I'll see if I can help you."

"I don't know if I can even trust you after what you did to me in the past, lounge lizard", growled Spidey, "so why am I to trust that I'll need something to just get inside?"

"Oh, but you must. I may only help you this once, but other than that our speaking terms will be minimal."

As Dimitri said that, much of the group looked on at Spider-Man, curious over what kind of rough settlements happened between him and Dimitri in the past. But yet, they soon focused on the lounge lizard as he made his talk, turning around and facing a window as he did so.

"Your key of choice lies within the tallest temple in the Beverley Hills district to the North. There, the Goose's Heart gem will be residing for you to be able to obtain and use to cross into the-"

As soon as he turned around, he saw that… everyone had completely vanished. He looked towards the door, and right there, he saw it half-open, with a cold breeze starting to settle its way inside.

"...where did everyone go? Oh well, I guess no one wants to listen to good ol' Dimitri no mo'."

He just ended up shrugging to himself, before he began pacing himself up and down the broken-down room, his feet sliding upon the ground as he managed to do so. Eventually, his eyes widened and he came to a stop.

Quickly, he went inside his cloak and pulled out what looked like a metallic green cell phone. He opened it up, and started pressing as vigorously as he could among the keys that graced it, almost to the point that his nails could break off at any moment.

"Come on boss, you gotta receive my calls this time!"

A wide grin showed upon his mouth, which made it completely obvious upon the bright pink lips that formed a significant proportion of it. And there, the heavy button pressing stopped and he waited patiently for a response.

Dimitri was left in peace as he started to speak in code-speak to the person on the other line, whomever his boss is. His tail started to twitch happily at the sound of his voice, leaving him to speak in a more relaxed tone.

At the same time, Fletch and the others were seen making their way towards the Northern exit of the city, once again using Spyro's copy of Ariel's emblem to make their way to the district directly to the north of them.

Yet, the Beverley Hills district could be more hazardous than once thought, no thanks in part to the rain that fell from the night before. Whether it would be a factor on their traversal through the ruins up ahead would remain to be visualized upon their minds.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Senatorial Housing, the area itself felt really quiet during the time of morning it was facing. It wasn't quite time for the usual daily meeting yet, though some of the senate members – namely the anthro members – were still seen having coffee together.

Senator Cortex was also involved in a morning coffee, yet he drank alone in his chambers, in the far reaches of the building. His focus was placed upon the window, taking a look at the wet state of the city from the previous night.

His eyes twitched as he started to think about his next move. But those thoughts were soon interrupted when the doors to his room were suddenly swung open with a deafening bang. That left him to bring up both hands and cover his ears until the ringing sensation vanished.

"Senator Cortex!"

He instantly looked behind him, facing the doors, and once again he was eye-to-eye with Ripto, whom stood there with what looked like a half-proud half-hesitant expression through his deep green eyes.

Cortex placed down his coffee and stood up onto the floor, walking his way straight towards Ripto, hoping to hear what news he brought. As soon as he was several inches from him, Ripto expressed his news right away.

"I've received news that Fletch is on the way to receive the Goose's Heart!"

The senator's eyes started to light up with glee. "That's just what I wanted to hear."

With a smile, Cortex folded his arms and turned towards the window. Meanwhile, Ripto's expression transformed into one of complete shock, as he tried to pace his way towards his accomplice's side.

"Aren't you worried?" he asked him while shaking his hands. "He could just go towards John Moors and reach the Emperor, if that's what his spear claimed to be his present location!"

"I'm not worried", Cortex replied with a smirk. "Whether this Fletch child would even get inside the John Moors fortress will be a different story."

There, he walked straight out of the corridor, allowing his coat to flap in the gentle cold breeze that ended up following. Ripto soon followed him having seen him done that, trying his best to catch up from his pacing.

It wasn't long until they faced an empty room in the building, which lead straight towards a spiraled staircase. They both ascended there, and as they did so, they passed a small window that gave them a viewpoint of districts to the East of their position.

'Beverley Hills is full of treacherous traps", Cortex began speaking. "There are illusions to the mind's eye, and not all doors lead to the exact ending that you would have wanted to see."

"In other words...?" Ripto asked.

They both continued to ascend the stairs, and as soon as they reached the top, they saw themselves in an empty tower with checkered flooring. A clearer view of the ruins was seen right at the top.

As they saw them, the cold breeze started to blow through their clothes and in Cortex's case his hair too. He gave out a devious smirk as he ended up looking back towards Ripto, whom stood there with his scepter remaining fixed in his hands.

"I have a feeling that either one of two situations would happen. Fletch will end his quest there, or he will come out with nothing."

Ripto couldn't help but show a more straight expression as he looked on at the Senator and heard his words. With that in mind, he took a further step ahead and looked over the walls to see the ruins for himself.

There, they ended up seeing the ruins over there shining within the sunlight, in spite of them being covered in completely dark clouds regardless of the weather. The amount of fear from the place reflected in their eyes.

"Even if he does survive", Cortex spoke holding a deeper tone than the usual, "how will he make his way out of the central temple?"

They both looked upon one another as they continued to analyze the tower. As that happened, they saw a small amount of shapes in the distance making their way over there, showing themselves as mere blue blurs in the distance.

They thought about the situation at hand and their mission to tackle the Emperor. And with those ideals in mind, the reasoning behind Cortex's thoughts upon the entire ordeal soon made sense within Ripto's mind.

"I get your point now, sir!"

He looked on at the scientist with a more confident sneer upon him, leaving the scientist to show confidence back. With that, they both held each others' hands as they walked their way straight back down the stairs.

It didn't take long for them to return to the bottom of the stairs, where as soon as they did so they came to a small stop in front of the door. As that happened, Ripto turned to the senator, ready to speak out once again.

"Oh by the way, what should I do with this Han kid?"

"He should be the one trying to break the John Moors seal", said Cortex. "If he does this correctly, he should be the one to face the Emperor, not Fletch."

Ripto couldn't help but smile back. "I'm sure I'll assist him every step of the way."

With a small salute, he ended up making his way out of the door, with Cortex to follow. Yet, they ended up going in completely separate directions, with Ripto jumping out of the window to the housing's gardens and the Senator going on back to his study.

As soon as he got there, he took a hold of the doors and sealed them shut as soon as he got inside. He then made his way towards his windows, showing a proud expression upon him as he looked out towards the city.

"Theoropolis, your days are numbered before the start of a revolution. Be prepared to fall to your knees and chant songs of worship for the great and almighty Emperor Neo Cortex!" He followed that up with a sinister chuckle and a devious voice tone. "I have big plans for you!"

With that, he walked straight back towards his desk and his coffee cup. He picked it up ready to consume once again, but unfortunately for him, it went really cold in the time that he was up there.

He picked up the mug and poured the contents down a nearby sink, now pretty much thinking that a conversation with Ripto just cost him time for a coffee break. But regardless, it was still a moment to feel proud of.

By knowing that they are also one step closer to tracking down Emperor Ariel, though for a more different reason, he knows for sure that the race is on, if anyone is to get to him and use him for whatever purposes imaginable.

_-end of chapter-_


	7. Dimitri the Hypocrite

AUTHOR NOTES

I can't believe how long I waited to end up putting this part up. I would rather blame the growth of my University studies than anything; it didn't seem easy for me to even find time to submit this.

But either way, I managed to find time to keep on going with the parts for this. I hope that for the next chapter in line I won't face the same problems. o.O

So, about this chapter - it's where our team end up discovering the Goose's Heart's location. Though, how the gathering of the gem would go to plan would be something to discover and find out for yourself. When it comes to new approaches, I couldn't help but explore a little bit more about the purple cloaked team, which end up getting named in this chapter. It also introduces Axel (Kingdom Hearts II) and Baron Praxis (Jak II) in this chapter; question is, would they be taken as friends or foes? No matter what, I always thought making them show up as a duo in this area seemed to make me think they'd have similarities - both being characters that faced untimely exits from their respective franchises, both ultimately fighting for a better cause at the end of their respective games and both working well as contrasting elements as such (Axel casts fire, while Praxis ruled over a city on water in his game appearance).

But enough rambling. I might as well get on with putting this chapter up. I just hope I don't do the same delay blooper again.

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_It took me weeks before I was able to go back to school again. My damaged eye had to be taken out as it was causing serious pain on my head, and it had hair extensions placed over it to hide the wound._

_Yet, while I did manage to catch up on the workload thanks to Akumi's business on transporting it home to me, I did feel that when it came to the social side of school, I had a lot of catching up to do._

_The atmosphere completely changed on the first few days of my return. People saw me as a wimp for fighting with a goose and losing something dear, and would point and laugh at me just for doing that._

_Eventually, it came to the point that various jocks around the premises would come up to me, steal my lunchbox and beat me up for whatever amount of loose change I might have had upon me._

_As long as I was here, in the school grounds, I felt as if there were no way out. Even if I did try to tell the teachers about all this, or my mom or Akumi for that matter, odds are they would find me quickly and force my head down the toilet in a nearby boys' bathroom._

_This routine continued onwards for God knows how long; back then, I didn't even care about counting time that passed by. All I knew was that I was in a living Hell and there seemed to be no way out of it._

_"Leave the kid alone!"_

_The voice lead me to turn straight to my right, and standing there stood a boy wearing a large purple cloak, with an orange t-shirt and black triangles on it. He wore a pair of jeans and had short blonde hair with a furry top-hat on top of it._

_I was curious on what kind of figure would save someone who's been through so much lately. Yet, it's thoughts like this that would escape my mind as he stormed his way straight towards the jocks._

_"Who are you?" one of them asked him._

_He didn't answer. Instead, I just left him to his own devices. He continued to show his defensive skills at an alarming fashion may I add. His punches were being thrown faster than light, and all his dodges seemed to show him take a purple blur._

_That gave me time to get through and escape from the hands of my bullies, taking cover behind a nearby oak tree and watching the action from there. There, the young blonde haired boy dodged the jocks as much as he could._

_It didn't take too long before they ended up cornering the boy between a gymnasium window and a set of stairs leading into the building. Now it seemed like it was his turn to get trapped rather than mine._

_"Why are you picking on him?" the blonde spoke with a scowl._

_"Because he doesn't belong here, especially with that mug he has!"_

_And with that, the jocks took several steps back, hoping to come closer and closer towards the boy and place him straight into one of their knuckle sandwiches. However, all that the boy could do was smile._

_"A simple short minded answer. Inside him could be someone very beautiful for all you care!"_

_His remark left their faces to turn completely red as they stepped further and further back. It didn't take long for them to be about 40m away from the boy, whom didn't take the opportunity to run but rather waited patiently._

_And then, the jocks charged straight towards the blonde boy, leaving him to smirk as they came closer. When they were 10m away from one another, he ended up being able to leap straight out of the way._

_That caused the jocks to all crash into the wall together, heads first. As they did so, they all collapsed on the floor in a daze. The sight of it left the blonde haired boy to chuckle as he saw their actions._

_"And stay away from him!"_

_With a bigger smile than when he first came onto the scene, he looked around. It didn't take long for me to make eye contact with myself, which by then I almost felt like applauding his bravery back there._

_He saw me, and made a run straight towards me. Once at the tree, he ended up taking a hold of my hand and looking straight on at me. By then, I started to feel a little nervous, being around a defensive person that I've never even seen before._

_"Are you okay kid?" he asked me._

_"I don't know. These same guys have been onto me since I lost my eye."_

_"Hey, it's not your fault that you're like that."_

_He brought his arms forward and extended them into a small hug. That left me to give out a small smile as he did the comforting embrace. We locked eyes once more, looking into each other's comforting glances._

_"In times like this, people need to defend the handicapped, not shrug them off", he spoke with a sweet tone for a boy his age. "Odds are they'll have poor grades at the end of High School anyway, and then they'll work at their local burger joint for a lower-than-minimum wage."_

_I couldn't help but smirk at the sound of that. To think that he was round about my age, and he already demonstrated that he had the wisdom of a 50-year-old man. He seemed so powerful to get on with._

_With that, I knew that I needed to befriend him whenever I can. He could be the very figure that would get to understand what problems I had lately. And it was there that I went up to him, with my hand ready to take his._

_"Is there any way I can get to thank you? By means of a handshake, or-"_

_Just then, the bell rang. Many of the kids in the playground were seen rushing straight inside the room, ready to tackle the classes that were up ahead. And just like that, the blonde haired boy ran and went into the crowds._

_"-hey!" I cried out to him._

_To think again – he saved me, and he served as a great potential friend for the future, however by the end of it all I didn't even know his own name. I feel like a really bad boy just for feeling the way I did._

_But there was no way to think much. As much as I hate to admit it, the event of his saving me was in the past. Yet, no matter what, I wanted to learn so much more about him than I ever could before._

_With that, I went in the crowds and started making my way to my next class. God, I hated geography. There's too much detail to learn when it came to how various elements of the ground have been structured._

_Still, at least it seemed to feel better than facing constant torment before the lesson. So as I tackled the lesson, the blonde haired boy remained on my mind, as a figure that I need to see as soon as I can._

* * *

Day 4

_Beverley Hills District - 2:25PM_

It didn't take long for the group to all gather around on a more rural setting of the city. The grass blew beneath them with a tint of teal, and the rain left the ground to feel somewhat muddy to match.

As they stepped upon a taller slope, they got a closer view of the ruins around them. Among the cold skies and moody/cloudy textures above, there were various ruins that stood donning various cold/gray colors all around them.

It was an uneasy sight to behold, yet no matter what the main ambition remained set in stone – to recover the Goose's Heart gem from one of the towers. They looked around, and it didn't take long for Fletch to spot something in particular.

"There it is! The tallest shrine in the Beverley Hills area!"

He pointed straight on at a tower that looked like half the size of Ly's Tower at Club Ubi, yet in spite of that it was considerably longer with a hallway that seemed to stretch behind it as if it was trying its best to resemble a sphinx.

The decorative carvings onto it seemed to give a more welcoming feeling than some of the other ruins around them. And it wasn't long until they started to make a walk towards its entrance, their muddy footprints showing upon the ground.

"I still have reservations with Dimitri", Spider-Man sighed, "but there's no turning back now. Are we ready to go in?"

They all nodded together, and looked straight back at the entrance. Inside it seemed more welcoming, with torches lighting their way down a set of stairs to a brightly lit corridor that ran underneath.

With that, they went inside, away from the rain, ready to explore what the corridor had in particular. As they made their way to the base of the stairs, they went ahead for a small while before being forced to take several corners along their route.

And it didn't take too long for them before they made their way straight through towards a wider corridor. Except, this time, the shades in yellow were considerably darker than the usual, and there were similar decorations than there were to the outside of the building.

Golden ornaments were seen surrounding the various pillars that supported this part of the building, and the corridor itself faced itself on a slope leading up to a more distant set of large doors up ahead.

"Wow, look at this place", Spidey said with an uplifting tone. "I never thought such a ruin would be covered with such fine craftsmanship."

With that, Spidey ended up taking several steps ahead and looking on at some of the golden statues that managed to grace some of the nearer pillars. Observing them more carefully showed them to be of Ancient Greek attire, just like the Imaginarium.

"Maybe it's because much of the memories of Theoropolis has preserved for so long", said Jade. "That's the only assumption I have."

"Yeah", replied Ratchet enthusiastically. "Compared to the real world, not even the original cross that Jesus was crucified on would remain in this condition for years."

Joanna couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You claim yourself to know so much about the real world too much, do you?"

"Look, this is what Clank told me. Don't get uptight about it now!"

There, both Joanna and Ratchet once again scowled at each other before threatening to punch their opposing faces. But it didn't take long for Jade to suddenly come between the two and separate them with her own hands.

Nearby, both Spidey and Sora were seen making a more thorough walk, heading up the slopes together and absorbing the scenery around them. But it didn't take long for the former to lower his head as he walked.

"I still hope Dimitri is telling the truth", Spidey began again, "but how am I supposed to trust him after everything he did to the place in the past?"

"I don't know", replied Sora, "but I can tell in his eyes that he might not be all that bad. Still he claims it's covered in riches, and this place looks obvious enough that the gem will easily remain inside here."

With that, Sora pointed his head straight forward, and it was there that the doors ahead were starting to look bigger and bigger as he came closer towards them. He gave out a confident smile as he walked further.

But it didn't take long before he was nudged on the shoulder by Darkwing, whom left him to point on behind him. That left Sora and Spidey to come to a stop, looking on at Fletch, whom was seen standing near a pillar.

Sora's eyes widened. "Fletch?"

With that, he made quick haste in making his way straight towards him, trying his best to run as fast as he could towards him. And it didn't take long for him to stand near the boy, inches away from each others' feet.

There, the boy was seen looking straight down at his own spear, twirling the point around by rolling the rod between his fingertips. And it was there that his face showed a more grave expression than the usual.

"As much as I appreciate this place, I can only worry that something wrong can happen up ahead."

"Why are you saying that?"

Jade quickly went towards him coming towards Sora's other side. The boy looked on at the two of them, happy to know that they felt concerned for whatever incident that might have occurred relating to him.

It didn't take long for him to fix his ears down at the spear again, where he glanced upon it with a glance that could attempt to drain all the color away from his cheeks if he really meant it. He walked his way into the middle of the path as he did so.

"Initially, the spear seemed to be pointing up to the castle, but somehow the force's direction seems to have changed as we walked. But how can this be?"

"You're probably imagining things", replied Darkwing with a shrug. "It's possibly because we're walking north."

Fletch still continued to look down at the spear with hesitance. "I swear, even if we're walking south I can feel things like this! I just don't understand. Did Etna give me a malfunctioning weapon?"

His face showed a fair amount of worry as he raised his spear into the air. As that happened, the channeled energy surrounded him, but somehow the force's direction felt as if it was tugging immediately to his left rather than being some distance ahead of him.

That left him to start shaking in the kneecaps, with his face looking whiter as the glow around the spear started to fade away. As that happened, Darkwing soon came up to him with his eyes feeling more sympathetic.

"Don't get your mood up too much now. We'll be sure we can make sure it doesn't distract us too much in the long run. For now, we have a gem to take hold of."

He extended a hand and placed it upon Fletch's shoulder, leading the boy to look on towards him. That left them both to crouch down to one another's level, maintaining very cautious eye contact about one another.

Then, they locked hands, stood back up, and started to walk towards the doors. It was there that Fletch's face started to turn from a shaky one to a more determined one, knowing for sure that no matter what happens, Ariel could still be in good hands.

"Is this it?" Fletch then asked Darkwing. "The door we're to go through?"

"Hey, if it wasn't, then odds are the door wouldn't be covered in gold paint. Right?"

Darkwing pointed on straight at the doors. Indeed, they stood to be about 50 times their size, covered in gold carvings and flowery patterns among them. A small bronze knob was seen in a position where they could easily reach it at least.

Fletch took a step forward, his eye starting to quiver through the reflection upon the copper surface. There, he extended his hand and went to take as tight a grasp onto it as he possibly could.

His hand was then connected with the knob. His other hand was then placed to the other side to support it, and right there he started to pull the door with all of his might. And then, light shone from behind it.

An eerie glow of white light was cast upon his face, and it was there that they knew that the Goose's Heart gem had to be inside. With a bit of luck, it wouldn't take too long for them to know what it looked like and what it would do either.

* * *

It didn't take long for the group to break through the light and make their way into the room beyond. Just like the doors, the walls were covered in bright flowery decorations and a gold-brown color motif.

The room also looked smaller than the corridor than they were in, but it was still big enough to see that there was an extended path going towards the end of the room, with two small water pools to either side, a fountain generating water flow from behind… a treasure chest.

"Over there!" Jade gestured to the rest of the group.

There, she pointed at the chest, and so the group ran up the extended path towards it. It would almost be mistaken for camouflage given that it had similar patterns, but a lighter shade of green among the gold décor would have been a better giveaway.

It stood there, still in the cold room, showing all signs of majesty around it. At the sight of it, Sora tried to get a closer look, but given that there was a padlock outside of it, it was seen that the only way inside it would be with a key. Opening it by hand seemed to be out of the question.

"Could that be where the Goose's Heart is stored?" she asked the others.

Ratchet gave off a sneer as he brought his eyes upon the chest. "There's only one way to find out!"

Immediately, Ratchet once again got out his R.Y.3.N.O. weapon, aiming it straight at the chest. He was about to press the trigger to end up firing the weapon, but it didn't take long for Joanna to suddenly step in front of him and use her hands to block him.

"Save your ammo, lombax. There's no way that you can get through the toughest titanium alloy with even the strongest grenade."

Ratchet tried to growl at her, but it didn't take long for his expression to alter. With that, he sighed and placed the weapon away, understanding that gun power may not be a way to be able to get around the padlock.

Once that happened, Fletch walked towards the chest and took a look at it for himself. The key slot seemed to be shaped like a spade symbol on a quarter of a pack of cards. Trying to find something to fit the slot would be difficult.

"How are we to get in?" he hesitantly asked the others.

"Given with what Joanna said", Sora started replying, "we need to use our heads rather than brute force."

"I think you won't have your head for very long, won't you?" asked a mystery young male voice.

The shout left the group to start looking around, and it didn't take long for them to end up paying attention to the ceiling, where several shadows were seen flickering around the candle-lit ledges that were right above.

And then, they started to go around the wall, posing in a wide variety of different shadows. That left Darkwing's eyes to widen at the sight of their continuously changing forms, and Sora to show more haste in withdrawing his keyblade.

"Who's there?" he shouted towards the shadows.

He continued to look upon the walls, which remained still for several seconds. And then, they leapt straight forward, past the group in their entirety and right next to the chest. They showed more human forms upon landing.

Yet, the resulting forms didn't seem to be all that human. They stepped into the light and showed themselves to be two figures wearing long purple cloaks, just like the cloth that Dimitri wore when he previously attacked the team.

They were both marked as different individuals, thanks to medallions placed around their necks. The one to the left wore a ghostly white one, while the one to the right had theirs colored blood red.

"Those cloaks!" panicked Darkwing. "They must be in the same gang that attacked Fletch at the start!"

Fletch started to tremble slightly. "So that means..."

Spidey instantly pointed on at the group with a tenser stance than before. "Dimitri is trying to trick us! I knew we shouldn't have trusted that lounge lizard!"

"We as a gang have a collective name", started the young male voice from the white medallion, "and it's Scarlet Wolf Inc. Got it memorized?"

The figure with the white medallion stepped forward and went on to remove its hood, showing its face. He was shown to be a human with a pale skin color, with paler green eyes upon him and ginger hair forming spikes behind his head.

The familiar brown scars that went underneath his eyes were another giveaway, at least to Sora, whom instantly brought himself in a crouching position as he continued to clutch the keyblade really tightly.

"Axel!"

"You caught on quick", he replied in a devious yet soft approach. "Why you are with this mere child trying to assist the Emperor is beyond us."

He brought his hands up into the air and allowed fire to show as if they were trying to burn his skin. Yet in reality, it seemed as if he was enjoying the flames gracing through his body as they were.

There, Fletch tried to make his rush straight towards him, with his hands showing a more eager stance to fight than before. But before anything could be done, Jade and Darkwing quickly took a hold of his arms and resisted his means to fight.

"He's right", the figure with the red medallion spoke with an elder and rougher tone as he came between Axel and the group. "We don't want you going anywhere near the Goose's Heart. Your time is near!"

The figure with the red medallion went on to reveal HIS head, and just to match his voice, it looked so much elder than Axel's. A large brown moustache complete with an arched graced the lower reaches of his head, with one half covered in metal plating and leaving behind a glowing red eye and two pointed ears extending as far as his shoulders.

Darkwing instantly stepped back with a curious tone upon his face. "Just who the heck do you think you are; Darth Vader's stunt double?"

"I beg to differ", replied the humanoid. "I am Baron Praxis, Scarlet Wolf's swordplay specialist."

Jade's eyes lit up. "Wait, I know you. You came up with Theoropolis's motto! But… why are you here at a time like this?"

Jade instantly released her grip on Fletch, which somehow left him to resume his struggle from Darkwing's grasp; this time it got to the point that he was literally dragging him around like he was a plush toy.

He soon broke free from the grasp and ran straight next to Jade, locking his hands with hers as she looked on at the two figures. There was something about their expressions that showed that they meant serious business.

"It doesn't tell me what you want with us in specific", Fletch shouted. "Why won't you let us get the Goose's Heart?"

Axel couldn't help but give out a chuckle. "Questions like that will easily put you in the range of fire... literally."

Fletch blinked straight at him. "Huh?"

And just like that, they brought out their weapons – Axel begun by bringing out his hands, and right there came two large wheel-like blades – chakrams - upon his hands, with fire starting to burn through his body without any signs of burns whatsoever.

Praxis, however, went inside his coat and pulled out a long sword-like weapon that resembled a light saber in construction but was considerably thicker. He held it tightly with both hands, as if it was a baseball bat.

"Your little crusade has ended here!" he exclaimed towards the group. "We will never let the Emperor get back to his throne!"

Fletch stepped forward with one fist clenched and the other holding the spear tightly. "That's what you think! Let's get them!"

And so, both of their opponents started to edge together, their weapons getting around to touching each other's once they ended up being several inches away from the gang, whom by then had all their weapons – or fists exposed in the case of Spidey and Darkwing – withdrawn and ready for combat.

Fletch instantly ran forward with his spear, confident that he'd stab one of them, but before he could get anywhere, Axel charged Praxis's sword with a stream of fire, before they both double teamed and sent him flying straight back to the others, sliding on his back.

"They seem too strong together!" he shouted from his position near the door. "We've got to separate them!"

"That sounds like our job!" smiled Sora. "Jade!"

Sora instantly looked onto Jade, whom ran straight to his side, leaving them both to look on at the approaching pair with confident expressions. To counter their work of magic, they locked their keyblade and Dai-Jo respectively to charge up a bright blue aura of energy.

Axel and Praxis sent another wave of fire at the same time as they launched theirs, but the blue aura penetrated them and knocked into the pair of them, instantly knocking them towards opposing edges of the platform over the pool water.

"I've got Axel!" Sora shouted, taking first dibs on the opponent to attack.

"Praxis is mine!" yelled Jade as she went towards the other.

And so, both Sora and Jade branched out to combating their respective foes. Once Sora reached Axel, both of them engaged into a tense combat with their own weapons, using each others' to attack and parry with minimal damage being dealt.

The same happened for Jade as she engaged combat with Praxis, with their light-powered weapons being used as methods to counter each other when they least expected it. Yet, when Jade provided more mystical energy, it came to show that she was slightly sluggish in comparison to her opponent.

"Help!" she shouted towards the team. "I need backup!"

"I'm coming in!"

Without warning, she looked on to the right and saw Fletch charging towards the scene with his spear raised into the air. How can Fletch fight if he had problems with Dimitri, she ended up thinking to herself.

And then, he made contact with Praxis, whom instantly blocked the blow and counter attacked. Fletch dodged with a duck, before leaving him and Jade to start double teaming against him, eventually getting to the point of cornering their opponent to a pillar at the back.

"What kind of brute force is this?" he questioned Fletch and Jade.

"Not what you'd expect from a kid, don't you think?" replied Fletch with a wink.

Just then, Praxis ended up pushing his way through the group, before landing safely near the edge of the water. That left Fletch and Jade to counter once more, attempting to double team and corner him again.

Yet, just like that, their opponent's attacks started to become lethal, to the point that on one blow, Fletch ended up ducking and getting his hat scraped onto the weapon, causing it to fly off into the pools.

"Sheesh, he's pretty fast!"

"I'd help you out, but I've got my hands full with Axel!" Sora shouted sympathetically from the other side of the room.

Back with Sora, he too was trying to push Axel into a corner, but before he could even do so, his opponent would counter back by clashing his chakrams together and pushing a force of fire to attempt to corner the key bearer.

It eventually got to the point where Sora was cornered between a pillar and the edge of the water, and it didn't take too long for Axel to make his way over him, stepping over him like a giant among a village.

"Relight my fire, kid!" he cried with laughter.

"Not today!"

All of a sudden, a web stream was shot straight towards Axel's back, causing him to turn back in hesitance. There, Spider-Man was seen crawling on the ceiling, using whichever strength he could to slow the opponent down.

There, Axel tried to retaliate by trying to break through the web formulae, but it soon got to the point that it stuck to his shoes and caused enough wait for his running to be somewhat slower than the usual.

That gave time for Sora to make his escape, and the first thing he did as soon as he got out from his predicament is made his run towards Spidey, whom was still seen remaining silent upon the ceiling.

"Spidey!" Sora called out to him.

"You go help out Fletch", he commanded. "I'll hold him down."

And thus, he kept crawling on the ceiling, in the hopes of getting another great angle to shoot Axel at. In the meantime, Sora made his run towards Fletch, Jade and Praxis, ready to be another figure to join in the combat at that end of the room.

Meanwhile, Spidey made his approach straight towards Axel once more. This time, he shot out another web stream, catching the sole of his shoe and instantly sticking him onto the floor from the knee down. He was completely unable to move.

"Ratchet! Joanna!" Spidey summoned the two gunners. "He's all yours!"

And with that cry, both Ratchet and Joanna came around Axel together, carrying a pistol and a combat wrench respectively. Both surrounded him with their weapon looking as if they were bound to strike him with serious damage.

They both proceeded to make their attacks, Ratchet getting ready to strike him on the head from behind, while Joanna making a shot face-on. They both swung/shot straight on at him at exactly the same time.

But before anything could happen, a surge of fire shot through his body, causing Ratchet to get deflected and knocked back, and Joanna's bullets melting upon impact. They tried again several times – the same results happened.

"His fire's deflecting my attacks!" Ratchet panicked.

"Likewise!" replied Joanna. "How can he be this strong?"

And it didn't take long for Axel to break straight out from the web again, leaving him to approach the group while charging the gear weapons with a further surge of flames, causing them to glow red upon impact.

He went on to send a burning sensation towards Ratchet and Joanna, whom both attempted to block his weapons. Yet, in the end, Joanna started to flinch to the point that Ratchet tried to save her at the same time. However…

"Coming through!"

The sound of the shout caused all three of them to look around. And from a nearby corner of the room, Darkwing was seen charging straight towards Axel head-first. That caused Ratchet and Joanna to show wide-eyed expressions as the duck came closer.

And then, he brought his hands out as he approached Axel. He instantly pushed him away from the group, into the direction of Spider-Man whom then towed down his entire body with his web stream. However, it came to the expense of Darkwing catching fire, again.

"Darkwing, roll!" Joanna tried to command to him. "You have to roll!"

But Darkwing didn't listen. Instead, he continued to run around like a headless chicken, convinced that the fire was to penetrate his body more so than the wax candles he ended up encountering when fighting Dimitri.

Back with Praxis, Fletch, Sora and Jade managed to tow him towards the pool again, but before they could corner him, he countered back by using his sword to slash at everyone, knocking Jade towards the entrance.

"Dang it, you're too fast!" Fletch shouted on at him. "How can we cope?'

Sora instantly took a hold of Fletch's arm before he could strike again. "We should try and team up like he did with Axel at the start. It's the only way we can do this!"

And right there, Sora made his leap from his position, straight towards the pool. Once there, he started to climb up a nearby pillar, using whatever rocks that stuck out to ascend towards a higher level.

"I'll get him from another direction. Just keep going!"

And with that, Sora leapt from the top of the pillar, straight to various others around the room. That left Fletch to look on at Praxis and try to combat alone using whatever blows he can to lure him to a corner.

But the fact remained that Praxis remained to be so much stronger, leaving him to corner the boy first. It was to the point that his head was locked with the light sword's placement around his neck making him unable to move.

"You've almost weakened for sure!" Praxis scowled towards the boy. "Prepare to die!"

All that Fletch could do was watch on as he was certain to face his untimely demise. And there, Praxis raised his sword into the air, ready to strike down on the boy's neck and leave him in a gory mess.

Yet… just as when he was about to strike down, the smell of smoke started to circulate straight through the air. That left Praxis to look behind him, and see Darkwing make his way, still covered in fire.

"What the Hell?" the humanoid spoke with a surprised tone.

Darkwing continued to scream. "Burnt duck has just entered the building!!"

And right there, he made his way straight towards Praxis, pushing him straight into the wall. That left Fletch to counter back by using his spear to somehow force him to fly a few feet into the air, while Darkwing managed to cool off by jumping into a nearby pool.

From the top of one pillar, Sora looked on and saw Praxis flying towards the pillar he was on. That caused him to jump down quickly and knock him straight up into the air and slamming him head first into a pillar in the opposite end of the room.

Once that happened, Fletch went straight towards the pool and crouched towards it, trying to reach for his hat. Yet, Darkwing managed to come through first, swimming towards the surface with the hat in his hand.

As the boy wrung it dry and placed it back on his head, he looked at his opponents, whom ended up being pinned down in web stream in Axel's case, and seeing stars in the case of Praxis. That left Fletch to smile peacefully, glad that he survived the encounter.

"Both enemies are down!" Sora exclaimed. "Now's our chance to get at that lock!"

Fletch looked back, his happy face turning more anxious. "But how can I do it?"

Fletch made his way towards the lock, curious over what was inside it. But right there, the spear started to shake, and this time it wasn't to point in the direction of the Emperor. This time, a bright and radiant white glow was shown around him.

"...whaaaat?" He shouted as the spear reacted.

He tried to control it, but before anything could happen, a white spark of light shone upon the tip of it, making their way inside the padlock itself. The spade symbol itself started to shrink, before forming itself as a mere metal slab.

And there, the padlock itself started to crack. That left the group to look over it as it continued to shatter piece by piece, with all the resulting pieces falling upon the ground like mirror glass without the sharp edges.

It didn't take long for the entire padlock to dissolve onto the floor, showing itself as a small pile of metal scraps upon the ground. And with that, the top of the chest started to open up all on its own.

"The chest!" Jade exclaimed. "It's opening!"

Ratchet started to push his way past the others, hesitantly. "Let me at the Goose's Heart!"

Ratchet stepped forward as he saw the chest opening in full motion. Just like the spear, a powerful white glow was shown from the interior as it made its opening, getting to the point in shining like sunlight in their eyes.

And then, the light started to fade out, giving Fletch room to start edging his way straight towards the chest, step by step. Joanna soon followed him, also wanting to see the contents. Then when it did fade out, they saw the contents.

"Wait a second…" Joanna whispered at the sight.

Right there, there wasn't a gem inside, but instead there was a piece of scrapped lined paper. Joanna instantly leant inside the chest and picked it up, before reading it frantically with her own two eyes.

_"You should have been dead by now, like the street rats you are! But how you survived to this point is way beyond my macho thinking skills. Whatever, the Goose's Heart lies here no mo, and there's no way you'll get it back, homies!"_

_Signed,_

_Dimitri Louseau_

_(Scarlet Wolf manipulator)_

Her face suddenly turned white. Once she was finished with the note, she quickly passed it around the rest of the team, whom showed similar expressions as they took notice of Dimitri's written words.

While that happened, Axel ended up stepping over the group, obviously shown to have finally succeeded in escaping the web stream trap, though to the extent of being covered in webs from the hips down.

"What did I tell you?" he said with a sneer. "You won't get your hands on the gem around here, because someone took it before you!"

Spider-Man didn't sound amused. "Great, Dimitri tricked us worse than I imagined. First he shows his obvious envy against the success of Club Ubi, second he neglects me for not overseeing the development of Chez Klaww, and now he does this?"

And with that, Spidey took a hold of the note, tempted to roll it into a ball, but eventually lowered his head and decided not to do so. It was seen that doing something random and aggressive at the same time would not get anyone anywhere.

In hesitance, he made his walk near one of the water pools and leant down one of the support pillars residing near it, his head focusing upon the ceiling. He gave out a deep sigh, before going on to talk again.

"Sheesh, we need the White Gem to cross over into that castle. But how are we going to do that?"

"As said, there's no way we will ever get you to see the Emperor", said Praxis in a slightly weak tone. "We don't want him back on the throne for a reason!"

The sound of the Baron's voice left the group to look in the other direction, where right there, he was seen standing on two feet, his sword being held tightly in one hand and the other using the hood of his cloak to support any bumps to the head during the toss into the pillar from earlier.

In spite of that, his facial expression looked really serious. Yet in spite of that, Spidey was still cautious enough to stand up from his position from the pillar he leant upon and made his walk towards the Baron.

"If that's the case", Spidey began, "then why attack us? We are here to save the city, not to destroy it!"

Praxis couldn't help but nod in agreement. "And we aren't here to destroy the city either."

The remark led Spidey to end up pausing in his tracks. Thus, the thought of saving the city while leaving the Emperor out of the equation was left to be some rough anti-hero based decision to some extent. But in spite of that, Sora went up towards him with a glare in his eye.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he questioned the Baron.

"We were told by our boss to stop anyone from crossing over into the depths of the John Moors district - the castle you saw over there, lies one of the city's most cursed memorials that has ever grown to existence."

Axel quickly stepped to his left hand side. "And after we've seen what kind of brute strength you guys have put forward, we should have regretted the decision to fight you."

Axel ended up shrugging as he looked straight down towards the floor. From what he witnessed, his time to defend a chest was all for nothing, as all it gave them were a few blemishes here and there.

But no matter what, the group still showed burning determination. Axel looked back at everyone one by one, and it was then that he saw that no matter what happened, they all came into the room for a reason.

"We still need to find him anyway", Fletch addressed in a serious manner. "At this point, three of the city's residents have vanished, one of them being a very important figurehead to the Imaginarium."

"I know who you mean", sympathized the Baron. "Guardian Jak."

Fletch paused briefly. "How do you know him?"

"Three years ago, we worked in a videogame together", Praxis began again as he looked up slightly. "In the end I was killed off, and left looking for work elsewhere, trying to pay off a mortgage at my home to the south of the district."

With that, Praxis sighed as he started walking towards the door, withdrawing his sword as he ended up doing so. All that the group could do was look on, understanding that he had a connection to a figurehead for the city, and a past victim of the disappearances.

Just as when he was about to leave the room, Axel took a hold on his shoulder, causing him to stop in his tracks. And thus, exchanging glances, they turned around and looked straight back at the others.

"I have long understood his concern", commented Axel, "and if it's the guardian you seem concerned about just as much as the Emperor, we'll do everything we can to help you, just to assist in getting the key areas of the city back up together."

Fletch's face looked slightly hesitant. "So you're going to fight with us?"

"Not necessarily given you are searching for the Emperor", Axel replied with the shake of the head, "but we'll do as much scouting together to help you out. I can see from your face that you mean no harm, kid."

Just like that, Axel made his walk straight towards Fletch, with his hand outstretched. But in spite of his softer approach, all he could do is show a worried face in case he sets his clothes on fire or something similar.

Yet, on the touch of his shoulder, Axel didn't do anything of the sort. All he did was brought Fletch closer to make him feel comfortable, touching the tip of his spear as he managed to do so. He soon released his grip, knowing he'd go far.

"And trust us on this", snarled the Baron. "We will not be as deceitful as that bastard Louseau!"

With that, Praxis took a hold on the door handle and made his way straight back out into the corridor that the group arrived in, with the trail of his purple cloak blowing gently in the cold draft that was outside.

Axel soon followed suit, granting a small wave to the group on the way out. And as soon as they both vanished from their viewpoint, they all looked on at one another, their eyes twitching with curiosity.

"You know who to turn to next, don't you guys?" asked Spidey.

They all nodded unanimously. Joanna instantly looked back at the letter, which by now was still seen in Spidey's hand all in one piece. There's only one person on that note that they would will to see – Dimitri.

Without the Goose's Heart, they would be unable to cross over to the John Moors district to grab Ariel. So it meant that the only way that they can get there is to tackle the figure who placed them into the mess.

Either way, it can be admitted that it wasn't that bad, considering they discovered the codename for the purple cloaked creatures – Scarlet Wolf Inc – and somehow got around to making rough accomplices with two of the team's members.

* * *

About 40 minutes later, they re-emerged towards Chez Klaww, which by then had its broken windows glistening in the early sunset. The puddles from the previous night's storm also shrank drastically, to the point that it could almost be treated as an evening in May.

Once at the door, Ratchet went on to kick the door open, knocking it off its hinges in an instant. That came to show that if they would ever find lodgings in the district, they won't be visiting there again.

They went through the main room and through to the kitchens at the back, where on a stool next to a wooden table sat Dimitri, reading a newspaper while smoking a cigarette. The sight of him caused Fletch to charge straight towards him.

"Dimitri, there you are!"

"What?" Dimitri exclaimed with a shocked look over the newspaper. "I'm surprised your mashed-up possé didn't get popped upside the head, know what I'm saying?"

It didn't take long for Fletch to climb up onto the wooden table. "We know you've got the gem. Give it to us! It's the only way we can even get inside, believe me!"

With that, Fletch took a hold of Dimitri's neck, jumping on top of him and knocking him to the floor, causing the cigarette to fall from his mouth and simmer quietly among the tiled floor and his newspaper to split into separate pieces.

Growling viciously, Dimitri pushed Fletch from him and stood up. His facial expression remained as he then focused his way towards a set of decaying cupboards behind him and proceeding to search through them.

"I still don't get what you punks want with the Emperor", he spoke with a half-confused and half-bitter tone. "I still don't think it's healthy, but given that you may want to get there anyway, I suppose I'll give it to you for the effort."

It didn't take long for him to find a white diamond lying in the cupboard. It sat there all alone, covered in cobwebs and dust; with that, Dimitri brought it out, blew off the entirety of the residue from it and passed it towards Fletch.

"Bear in mind that there's so many that want to get at him as well", he said more reassuringly, "so you might as well be on your toes as you get over there."

"Thanks", smiled Fletch.

The gem was then placed inside his house. He looked inside it, and saw his own reflection inside the gem itself, as well as being able to glow brightly with a bright white shade along with a corresponding pink shade from the sunset outside.

"See, while you were deceitful and stuff, I still saw you as a genuine guy from the beginning", Fletch spoke with a more confident tone than the usual. "I owe you one, 'dude'."

"Oh ho ho!" Dimitri chuckled. "I see you'll become a genuine stylistic maestro like me in the future, huh?"

With a smile, Fletch forced one of his hands into a "thumbs up posture". Dimitri instantly shook his head on how wrong it looked, and helped him out by tucking all of his fingers inside his fist and straightening his thumb posture.

Maintaining the thumb position, Fletch made his walk towards the group, his other hand grasping onto his spear as he did so. Raising it into the air showed the vibrations once again focusing upon the castle.

"We'll let you know when things go well at John Moors", Fletch spoke with an informing tone. "We'll make sure that we'll get out of that tower alive, for the city's future."

And thus, he waved back at Dimitri, whom ended up doing the same. The group all started to walk out into the main room, ready to make the next advancement in their journey towards the Emperor.

While they walked outside, Dimitri kept his focus upon them as they went through the doorway, over the kicked-down door and into the sunlight. They went towards the right of the shack and went in a North West direction.

Yet, as soon as they vanished from his sight and their footsteps faded into silence, his expression changed from a peaceful one to a comical one. And thus, he ended up rolling on the floor laughing.

"What the Hell? He saw me as a nice guy!" Dimitri continued to explode with laughter. "I gave him a mere carved pearl! There's no way he'll even get out of this one alive! I don't think he can tell what a Goose's Heart is if it even shot him in the face!"

With a further snicker and a guffaw, he slapped his kneecaps harshly with his hands, showcasing the insides of his mouth as he did so. Joyfully yet slowly, he got up from the floor and made his walk back to the kitchens.

"Man, I gotta report back to the boss on this one! He will be so, how should I say, funtastic when he hears this, yo!"

With a jump into the air and the click of his feet, he instantly made a mad dash towards the table, picking up his pager once again. He started to tap on the dial and sent a text message to the end user.

And so, it was sensed by Dimitri that no matter what would happen with Fletch and the group, they would come to face heavy problems by the time they actually attempt to get inside the castle at the John Moors District.

Yet, how long will it take for them to find out that what they had was a "carved pearl"? All that he could do was make his wait in the depths of the ruined shack and count down the hours before receiving word from anyone else from the organization.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Senatorial Housing, the sun setting in the west started to turn the gardens to have mildly red shades upon the gardens and the building itself. It even shone through the windows, causing bright light patches down the corridors.

The halls themselves were as quiet as a ruin in a light breeze. Though in spite of that, a set of muddy footprints were seen going right across it, into the Audience Room. Right through there, the door was wide open, showing the senators, Chancellor and secretary together.

As Duckula came to sit down while rubbing his muddy feet upon the floor – possibly from the last remaining puddles from the rain – the group was brought into silence, ready to witness the meeting. Yet all but one Senator was there in attendance.

"It's been 20 minutes past scheduled meeting time and we still haven't seen Senator Cortex", said the King of All Cosmos in a stern tone.

"I say we start without him", gestured his Queen. 'He might have a reason for this, and he'll explain it to us later."

There, the Queen placed her hand upon the King's, leaving them both to look upon one another. She showed a hopeful look upon her, and that expression is something that the King couldn't help but smile upon in spite of the concerns expressed.

"Though we are displeased with his lack of attendance, we might as well continue for the sake of the city."

With that, he stood up, causing his red coat to trail and shift as he did so. The Senators all looked up at the King, standing several times their height and to the point that his head could almost touch the ceiling.

"Fellow senators, are you ready for the briefing?"

"I suppose so", replied Duckula as he continued to shake the mud from his webbed feet. "Surely it can't get any worse since the recent disappearances."

"You could be right", Murfy exclaimed while hovering up in panic, using his hands to hold onto his face. "First Crash, now Jak and Rayman have fallen under too! Now that we've lost the Imaginarium's guardian, how can it get any worse?"

"Please remain calm, Senator Murfy", Clank spoke softly towards him. "You may never know what the Chancellor will provide for us."

"Okay, sorry about that."

Murfy quickly regained his seating, as he brought his focus back upon the King. He walked his way around the room, his long legs gracing the group and his head occasionally tilting towards the sunset windows.

There in the corner, there laid a small written document. He picked it up, and started trailing his way straight back towards the top end of the table, where the Queen awaited with a concerned look. As he got there, he started to interpret the note.

"Going through the daily news, there's been word about something bad going on at the Yellow Echidna district."

Before he could continue any further, there was a gasp in the audience. That left the group to all turn towards the opposite end of the table than the King's, where right there, Samus's face started to turn white.

"Senator Aran?" Lara asked with concern.

Samus's expression started to turn more hesitant. "That's MY district! I've done everything to make sure it's been standing firm on both feet. How can this happen?"

"I'm sorry, but it has" sighed the Queen. "It's been said that a cloaked figure came and trapped one of the district's finest residences in that crystal of his."

The Queen brought herself away from the King and sat down more securely upon her seat. It was there that the group knew that they have faced yet another kidnapping, and another one that couldn't be helped to match.

That feeling left Samus especially anxious, as she placed her elbows upon the table and her hands upon her forehead, starting to feel let down for herself. Next to her, Lara was seen stroking her back, trying to calm her down.

Yet Samus's expression was far from calm. "If I wasn't in the Senate, I would don my armor and go after him, but why can't I?"

"I would do the same", said Snake, "but we have our purposes for the city, and we have to make sure we run it well to make sure our people feel secure. Besides, you can always take out your feelings when working on the next Metroid sequel, right?"

Samus quickly looked up towards Snake, her eyes at that point starting to quiver. Though he did look reassuring, it still felt as if there was to be some disgrace on her part for not looking after her district properly.

"Don't worry about it, Samus", Peppy spoke reassuringly. "You haven't failed anything, and I am sure that your position will remain stable. We'll do everything in our power to make sure that you remain safe."

Samus looked on at Peppy, whom showed a confident look about him. Considering his city contacts made him a valuable team member, it was shown that she could understand Samus's concerns to the point of her standing up on both feet.

"Thanks Peppy."

Peppy came to stand up too, and they both came together. Still distraught, Samus brought her hands around to the back of his head, leaving Peppy to use one of his hands to push back her long hair towards her back.

Yet at the top end of the table, the King still looked concerned. "How will we tackle this problem? We can't be hanging on the return of the Emperor now!"

"Not to worry", addressed Peppy. "I will easily alert my closest city contact about this, and they will do everything to help us out in any shape or form.'

"Please, Senator Hare", Lara started to plea. "Anything will be great. We'd dare hope that this whole district security debacle doesn't happen again in the near future."

Peppy looked on at Lara, then at Samus, and then at the rest of the Senate. His smile and current facial expression said everything towards them – something will be done to tackle the current situation.

With that, he instantly made a walk outside, though not in the same manner of abrupt departure as Cortex did a few days before. Instead, the King understood his wishes as the hare made his exit.

Once outside, he went towards a small black payphone and took a hold of the receiver. Several key numbers were placed inside the receiver, leaving him to make contact with whoever will receive the call.

* * *

Blaze's Tailors didn't change much since Fletch made his arrival inside and met Sora and Darkwing as accomplices. As Blaze herself was seen operating the business downstairs, the windows of the main HQ offices upstairs looked more hidden thanks in part to being located next to some air ducts, but were active nonetheless.

Up there, Fox was seen near a chalkboard, constructing technical diagrams for a potential flying machine. Not too far from him was Spyro, seen snoozing in a corner opposite to the chalkboard's direction.

Just as when he was to place further window measurements onto the board, a black telephone rang. He looked towards his desk and saw it ringing frantically. There, he tossed the chalk onto the floor and picked up the receiver.

"This is HQ, Fox McCloud speaking. How may I help you?"

He listened carefully to the words down the phone, leaving him to have a facial expression suddenly transforming to concern. He climbed into one of his chairs, trying to show comfort at the entire thing.

"What? This can't be happening! Blaze will be upset by this!"

With a twirl of one of his feet and eventually his tail, he looked on towards the window, seeing Blaze peacefully serve behind the counter as she gave a city resident a dry-cleaned tuxedo. He couldn't help but gulp.

The words that went through the receiver continued to get absorbed into his mind. And then, after the figure on the other end spoke, he knew that action needed to be taken. He gave out a salute and went straight towards the phone.

"Yes Peppy! I'll be on my way!"

Quickly, he placed the receiver straight on top of the phone, placed the chair underneath the desk and placed the chalk up onto a small wooden dispatch on the chalkboard, away from causing any dust on the floor.

With just enough haste, he took a hold of Spyro's left wing and started to drag him out of the room. That caused him to start coming to and dragging himself away from Fox's chalked hand several minutes later, resulting in having a powdered handprint upon his body.

Fox focused his attention back towards the windows once again. "Blaze, I hope things don't go wrong for you just yet! We'll do everything to restore the Yellow Echidna district the way it was!"

Spyro tried to open his mouth and ask a question, but before that could even be done, Fox made his dash away from the office. That left the dragon to follow the fox, still maintaining a confused expression.

They both ran down a flight of stairs and took a turn into the main room of the building. And just as when Blaze served another customer, she was able to turn around towards Fox and the others.

Her facial expression was restricted. Instead of maintaining a happy look, or even something like a determined and/or stern glance, her expression looked as if she was drained full of life. Both Fox and Spyro analyzed the expression carefully, and it was by them looking at each other that they saw what happened.

Whichever happened at the Yellow Echidna District, it was as if Blaze somehow already knew about it.

_-end of chapter-_


	8. The Scarlet Wolves Are Only Human

AUTHOR'S NOTES

In spite of being pushed around, the comments don't seem to be as frequent but they still seem to be getting somewhere. Thanks though - the last chapter was fun to write.

I did hear from some people that they're starting to fall behind with the story, however. So here's what I'm going to do. At some point this month, there will be a break in the story for an intermission. I'll put forth more information when there's time.

Either way, onto the next chapter. It's time for Fletch and the gang to use the "Goose's Heart" to access the John Moors citadel. We can only wonder what would emerge from here. No new characters this time - just straight to the point.

Thanks again, I guess, even though my reader count is a bit small. Oh well, you can't win them all.

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_The three o' clock bell rang, and that left me to depart from the school as quick as I could. I placed my feet upon the ground and raced to my heart's content, happy to share the news with my parents._

_I would usually stop by Akumi's school and pick her up from there on the way back, but there was nothing for me to do about that. It was a Wednesday, and by that she would end up stopping over with a friend._

_Either way, I managed to get back and settle down to a regular solitary routine while waiting for mother to come home. And so, two hours of my time was spent doing whatever nasty Geography homework I was given._

_I was almost done when I finally saw my mother come through the door, with Akumi as well. It seemed as if she had a good time with her friend that she hung out with. As she scampered off upstairs, she came and sat down on a nearby sofa. And then I made my move, telling her about everything that happened, from the bullying through to being saved by that blonde haired boy._

_"You must have had one heck of an exciting day", she spoke to me softly._

_"It's nothing like that", I replied. "This is the first time that someone has cared for me outside family since the goose incident!"_

_I thought about the goose incident all over again; that was among one of the most terrible traumas that ended up occurring. With that, I ended up placing my arms around my mother's chest, trying to get that off my mind._

_Yet, as much as I wanted a sympathetic glance from her after all that happened, her face still looked really stern and scary. With that, I frowned as I stepped back slightly._

_"I've seen the strain that has managed to get to you", my mother frowned. "But do you think you took the goose too seriously?"_

_"No, I haven't. Honestly!"_

_I tried to discuss heavily with my mother about everything that happened in the past month. There was the goose attack, and then the fact that waiting for the eye to heal kept me out of school for God knows how long._

_And to think, that the first thing that happened was getting bullied over my new handicap. I didn't want that to happen, but thankfully there was another boy in the playground that thought exactly the same._

_I told her the story over and over again until it was etched inside her brain like it was a simple etch-a-sketch model, only this time the lines drawn on were there to stay and not get wiped off that easily._

_By the end of it all, I swore that I must have strained my own voice box. Eventually, she went into the kitchen and came out with a glass of water. I paused for a bit and took two gulps of that before speaking again._

_"I swear that one day I will find that kid and see if I can befriend him. He could be someone that I can confide into whenever you guys aren't around to see me."_

_"Are you sure that's the right logic?" she asked me oddly enough._

_I thought to myself; for someone who's been confined to merely two females for the past month and has had problems associating with the other school kids on return, then YES, that WAS the right logic. She needed to realise that._

_"Trust me, I will do it!"_

_I brought my fists into the air enthusiastically and ran straight up stairs, dashing past Akumi as she made her way down with a painting palette. I took a lot of her designer paper from a nearby drawer in her room and soon made a dash to my own bedroom desk._

_I started to scribble down various images of what that blonde haired boy could be looking like when I would make my return to the playgrounds tomorrow. And then came all sorts of odd strategies to try and befriend him further, like giving him a football to play with or letting us be on the same baseball team in PE. But then, I heard Akumi and mother speaking downstairs._

_"What's happened to Fletch, mother?"_

_"He's faced a run in with some kind of "hero" at school. I think it's just one of those days."_

_"I don't know, that boy he's talking about sounds genuine. Almost as if I could know him personally if I want to myself."_

_"Don't get any ideas, young lady. He'll get over all this in about a week or two."_

_"Mother!"_

_I rushed to the balcony and looked towards them. There they were, arguing about a predicament. MY PREDICAMENT. I never would have realised that even though she didn't physically see it, Akumi would care just as much as me._

_With that, I quietly made my way back to my room, continuing to jot down whatever ideas I would come up with upon the paper. That boy wouldn't seem to escape my mind for some reason, a growing sign on how much I would want to be with him._

_Yet, I know for sure that I was going to a school that consisted of several hundred kids. And to me, that would be really hard to be able to cope with. Trying to track him down in a crowd is like picking a gray hair from a blonde wig._

_Odds are that there will be so many kids around in the playground. And there's so little time to meander through and find the guy for me.

* * *

Day 4 _

_Green Goomba/John Moors District Barrier - 3:50PM_

The Green Goomba district had a watery section that was on the exact opposite side of the city to where the run-down Chez Klaww shack was. There, it seemed to be a place where food was of an emphasis, with various koopas and goombas working in various fast food joints to feed whatever citizens would come by.

The scent of cheese almost distracted Fletch as he walked his way through, convinced that he hasn't eaten very much aside from scones and smoothies for the past few days or so. He brought his head up, trying to focus on the task at hand.

There, they managed to locate the castle in the distance. A thick canal separated the group from the building itself, and no matter how they would walk, there didn't seem to be a bridge or something to traverse the water.

"I think we've just come to a stop everyone", Fletch gestured.

The group looked on at the castle with the boy. And then they focused upon the water. For them, the only safe method for them could be to swim but what are the odds of surviving in such cold water for a long time?

Fletch tried to place his hand in there, but before he could, several cheep-cheeps jumped out from the water and tried to tackle it. He quickly raised it again, scared that it might happen again with catastrophic results.

"See, if we need to even reach that tower, we need to cross the water", he addressed the group. But how?"

"Does anyone see a port around here?" Jade asked as she looked behind her.

The group started to look around. A port and a boat would be really good to cross over to the other side, especially with water that thick. With that, they started to re-trace their footsteps and look among the water's edge.

A lot of wooden docks were seen as well as the occasional torn buoy, but there was no sign of a working ship anywhere. They were all broken into multiple pieces, left to sink among the water or just looked as if they were on their last legs.

About 15 minutes later, the group looked as if they were ready to just give up and try for another strategy. There was no way for them to cross at such a ridiculous state, like traversing a ruined boat over cheep-cheep infested waters.

"I can't believe that we're going to be stuck without a way to cross, unless someone here is a good daredevil swimmer", Jade signed.

"I think I may have an idea", said Sora. "If we can't walk on water, we can definitely fly over it."

Darkwing started to panic at the mention of it. "Whoa! Don't get any ideas kid! I'm not the eagle that soars above the clouds!"

"Not like that!" Sora shouted back. "Fox McCloud might have something for this task - maybe one of his flying machines can help us out. What are they called again, Arwings?"

"I suppose it's better than nothing", nodded Spider-Man. "We'll see how far we can go with him."

"Good idea, but do you know where he is?" Joanna asked. "And if so, how do we get there from this position?"

Fletch tried to answer, confident that he now knew the location of Blaze's tailors in the White Dragonfly District. But it didn't take long for him to stop, hearing a call from whatever walkie-talkie that was in Sora's pocket.

He quickly brought it out and listened carefully towards the signal. Not long after that, his eyes widened and he quickly passed the receiver to Fletch, whom took hold of it as if it was a giant brick.

"Hello?" he asked the caller.

He focused carefully on the voice at the other end of the line. The high pitched squeaks from the primitive technology tried to infect his head as if it was a bad disease, yet he still concentrated hard to receive a message.

All that the others could do was to wait patiently as they wondered what Fletch was doing with it. Yet they didn't have long to keep wondering as the signal got that intense the boy decided to take hiding behind a nearby green pipe.

Sora's face started to show concern, curious over how Fletch would take whatever news would come down from there. But it didn't remain long until he stood up and gave out a salute as he did so.

"I'll be on my way."

Quickly, he placed the antennae from the walkie-talkie down and tossed it straight back to Sora, whom caught it and placed it into one of his pockets. The boy then went back to the group with a panic-stricken face.

"Sorry guys, but we've got other business to attend to before we can get across. We need to head back to Coco's diner now!"

"But what have we done wrong now?" Ratchet started to panic. "I swear I haven't done anything hazardous to her business since the drinking incident!"

Fletch couldn't help but blink, thinking about what Ratchet might have done. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I doubt we're in trouble. Come on, we have to hurry back to her place, and quickly!"

And so, he started to speed his way back the way he came. The group were left to trail behind him as he would meander around the canal and straight back towards a set of crossroads residing nearby.

As soon as they got there, Fletch skidded in the right direction and continued to make his run down the street, until t hey faced another checkpoint. Darkwing ended up bringing out both Spyro's and Rayman's copies of Ariel's Emblem in confusion as they made their dash through.

The White Dragonfly District still looked as polished and clean as ever, leaving them to make their way straight through the meandering yet significantly more polished streets to make their way towards their destination.

"Coco, wait right there!" Fletch exclaimed while running. "We're coming for you!"

It didn't take the group long for them to end up running straight past Blaze's tailors. As they went past, Fletch placed his focus upon the front door sign. And right there it said "CLOSED" in red bold-italic letters.

His focus soon turned away from that and left him to start trailing through the rest of the district. Once again they faced another checkpoint on the way through to Rosemary Fields, and once again Darkwing showed both emblems at the gate.

They made their dash to the same public square that Fletch met Sora and Darkwing for the first time. By the looks of its unspoilt charm towards it, it wouldn't be long until they would be able to reach the diner.

* * *

After a hefty 10 minutes of running, the group went straight through the red sunset skies towards the front door of the diner. They looked on at its polished front door; Fletch started to give out a smile, while Ratchet started to look confused.

The doors were pushed open, and right in front of them they were brought into a fancy entrance. Right there, the walls were no longer dark and murky, but painted in bright citrus colors and had ceiling arcs decorated with diamonds of varying shapes.

The floor was covered in tiles and the tables had pale orange cloth going all around them. One of them was already getting covered in dark stains by Gourmet Guy, whom was seen eating a cake in a corner.

"Wow, this looks amazing!" Spidey exclaimed with surprise. "Seems to be of better quality than Club Ubi!"

"Yeah, something doesn't quite seem right", snarled Ratchet as he folded his arms. "The last time I was in this place, it was trashed after Gourmet Guy convicted me of cheating in a lemonade drinking contest."

That caused Guy's head to turn. "Hey, don't look at me! I'm not the person who spiked his own lemonade!"

With that, Guy ended up picking up a cherry on his cake and tossed it straight into Ratchet's eye, the lombax reacting with a bitter scowl as he pulled it off. He sighed and tossed it straight towards the floor. As that happened, Jade made her walk towards Coco, whom was seen at the counter.

"Are you this Coco figure that Fletch told us about?" she asked her. "And what's with the diamond display?"

"Do you like it?" she smiled. "I got so many donations from the locals that I decided to repair the diner. Then I realised there were some money and extra ornaments left over, so I did some refurbishments."

"You sure were quick decorating in the past two days or so", applauded Ratchet as he walked closer to her, "Maybe the public really do feel sorry for an elegant girl like yourself."

Ratchet leant close towards Coco, bringing his arms out ready to attempt to caress her. Yet the least he could do is get his hands positioned as the two were getting ready to do a simple ballroom dance.

Coco blushed almost instantly. "Thanks, but I don't know how Crash would react if he was here though. Regardless, I'm sure he won't mind."

Ratchet gave out a blink and looked towards one of the walls. In spite of the re-decoration, the old photograph of Crash and Coco still remained in exactly the same place it was prior to the new wallpaper applications.

Before anyone could still reminisce on that, Fletch started to edge forward, trying to make his way towards Coco. As soon as he got there, he squeezed in-between her and Ratchet, trying to make sure his hat didn't fall off.

"Anyway, we're here to try and locate Fox", he addressed. "We've been told to meet him and his gang here."

"Yes, he's in the storage room at the back. He will see you when you're ready."

Coco pointed towards a room at the back – the same one where several days before, Fletch saw Bill and Ted with a drum machine and too many mirrors to count. He gave out a twitch of the eye before he made his advancement there.

The others soon followed suit, wondering what would be there as soon as they got inside. Its dimmer lighting as shown by its entrance from the main room may not quite be welcoming, but it could be put down to it not being decorated yet.

Sora started to pace quickly towards the room. "Fox, we received your call and-"

They looked around as soon as they settled in. There were cobwebs, the mirrors in the same position as before, and Blaze seen sitting on top of a collapsed mirror. Fox and Spyro weren't too far either, trying to comfort her from opposing sides of the seating.

"What's the matter with Blaze?" asked the key bearer.

"She must have taken the latest city news really hard on herself", replied Spyro. "We tried everything we can to calm her down, but nothing seems to be working."

Fletch took a step closer, trying to analyse her facial expression. Her golden eyes seemed to show less sparkle than the usual, and her posture seemed to feel as if she was starting to head into depression rather than optimism.

Before he could try to get closer, Darkwing tried to push his way past the group, stepping on Fox's tail as he went towards her. Once onto the mirror, he brought his hand towards her cheek, causing them both to make eye contact.

"Tell me, what's the matter now?"

"I..." Blaze paused. "I don't feel like talking about it."

"Don't worry", Darkwing spoke calmly. "We won't abuse anyone or anything once you say it. We're here to comfort you every step of the way."

There, he brought out his hand again and locked it into a further embrace going across to her back. He continued to look on at her facial expression and yet it still remained to be really grim and dreary.

He once again used his hands to raise her chin and make her cause eye contact with him. But in spite of that, she still felt reluctant. Then she saw the other personnel showing similar expressions. She just had to say what was on her mind.

"It's Sonic."

Darkwing gave out a blank blink. "Who?"

Ratchet stepped forward to speak. "Sonic the Hedgehog is a friend of mine from the Imaginarium. He seems to be a frequent visitor to the tower, expressing varying wishes from challenges to other comrades to more ambitious projects like a recent one of wondering what it would be like to be a hedgehog in a real world."

Blaze focused her attention to Ratchet, whom couldn't help but show a sympathetic glance as soon as their eyes started to meet up. There, she gave off a reassuring yet timid smile back towards him.

"That cat guy's right. Sonic and I worked really hard on a videogame concept together last year, and we've remained in frequent contact ever since. At times, he was the only person I could speak to whenever I faced problems like this. Now that he's not here, I don't even know how to cope without him."

She lowered her head again, once again showcasing a grim expression across her face. Once more, Darkwing tried to embrace her, yet it soon got to the point that she started to push him away from the fallen mirror.

Eventually, he gave up and slid off, stepping on Fox's tail again on the way out. For the second time he tried not to express pain, but his face did show a painful glance upon it. Meanwhile, Spyro took his position on top of the fallen mirror, into the same position that Darkwing was before.

"Everything will be okay, Blaze", the dragon spoke reassuringly. "We've heard about three other figures from all over the city go missing in the past few days. Maybe it could be connected to here."

Blaze looked up once more. "If that's the case, I'd appreciate all the effort that's possible for you to help me. And even if he's not there, I respect you all for your words of gratitude."

With that, Blaze focused her attention onto everyone, and gave out another shaky yet upsetting smile upon her. Still feeling upset, she once again lowered her head, with Spyro doing whatever he could to comfort her.

Among the crowd, Joanna then took a step forward, taking a look at her face in a closer view. She then looked out of a nearby window – though the buildings outside obscured all view of the northern areas of the city, the tallest tower of the John Moors citadel was still in clear view.

"I think the best chance we have is uniting with Ariel and working together as soon as we can, and Fletch's spear is pointing towards the castle at the John Moors district", Joanna addressed the current situation. "But we can't get over the water."

"I know how you feel, but there is another method", smiled Fox. "I'd like you all to come round to the back of the building with me."

Fox brought himself up from the floor and started to make his walk towards the back. His treaded tail was left to hang gently as the webbed footprints upon them were left to vanish completely in the cold wind.

It didn't take long for him to completely vanish from the room itself, with the mirrors only catching the glance of him leaving the door. As soon as he exited, he took a hold of Coco's hand and brought her inside the room.

"Coco, Spyro, please reassure Blaze while I help out Fletch and his gang."

"I'm sure we will", nodded Coco. "I'll see if I can get Bill and Ted to run the counter, providing they don't spoil the decor."

And thus, Blaze, Coco and Spyro were all left alone in the room of mirrors, as Fox lead Fletch and the others out of the diner through the polished doors, straight back into the sunset skies once more.

They then went into a back alley not too far from the diner itself, and looked around for whatever Fox would gesture to. It didn't take too long until he commanded the group to make a stop near a certain corner.

Right in front of them was a large object covered with what looked like a black bin-liner cloth. There, he took a hold of it and started to reveal the contents from underneath; ready to show what can possibly be their means of approaching the water.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Imaginarium, the building was slowly getting restored one piece at a time. All the ashes from the gardens were removed to show fine soil, which by then the gardens were slowly being replanted.

The Guardian's Tower didn't change much at all, except among the corridor with the paintings of past Imaginarium guardians, Jak's portrait was seen amongst them at an empty spot near the sixth floor waiting area.

At the top of the stairs, Etna was seen counting pay-checks on her desk, assumingly for close accomplices in the guard. But all of a sudden, the doors opened up suddenly, showing a shadow come inside.

"It's... you?" Etna asked the figure.

The shadow stepped inside, and the figure was revealed to be a short figure wearing a black cloak around it. There was nothing that could be seen in terms of detail aside from two glowing round green eyes.

It then made its way towards Etna and sat down on a stool at the other side of the desk. Knowing that it meant business, she quickly placed away the pay checks and faced a serious expression while looking on at it.

"Etna, I have come to talk to you about the latest events", it spoke.

"Okay, so what is it this time?"

"I have been told that Fletch is on the way to the castle at John Moors. This is almost grave news - why did you give him the Spear of Visions?"

"The fact remained that the kid had potential. He can easily lure him out."

The shadow looked surprised. "...lure?"

"He's possibly still inexperienced with that thing. With the way this is going, once he's found the Emperor his journey would cease and desist. Then, while that happens, as long as Ariel's out in the open I can then go on to killing him myself. An almost ingenious plan, if you will."

"You do know that we can't get him with physical violence, right? There's only one true way that we can be removed from existence."

"I know that. I'll just tint my Elder Spear with a simple charm that will do the other procedure. I just wish there were more scientists around here to give me a hand."

With that, she stood up from her chair and made a walk towards the other side of the room. She grabbed onto her Elder Spear, which by then was sitting right next to the closet located near to her.

She picked it up, and true to her word, the tip of the spear was seen flashing from red to yellow. The shadow looked on at it, and instantly knew that she was to mean business with that weapon, yet it reverted a serious look as it was about to speak.

"I see your ambitions, but there's more we need to discuss. It could be a harder challenge than we thought, now that I lost both Axel and Praxis from the Scarlet Wolf team."

Etna gave off a stern glance towards the creature. "Are you expecting me to donate some of my prinnies to do some slave driving for you?"

She looked outside, and standing out there was one of the peg-legged penguins, assuming that was an example of a prinny. Upon hearing Etna's words, it started to jump with a whimper, before sliding down the stairs on a frying pan.

The shadow gave out a facial expression of annoyance, before shaking its fists and making its way towards Etna. By then, three dark claws were seen emerging from its long sleeves, ready to make their move.

"No, there is something else that has got me more convinced", it whispered. "Listen carefully."

The shadow made a jump straight onto the desk and used its claws to bring Etna back towards her seat. Following its advice, she took a hold of her chair and sat down, ready to absorb its words.

It brought its mouth close to her pointed ears, and started whispering inside it, using its claws to clutch gently onto her head as that happened. A strategy was being witnessed right inside Etna's ears.

After the shadow finished speaking, she leant back in her chair and thought about their words. And yet, somehow she knew that the shadow had a fine idea, to the point that she gave off a devilish smile towards the ceiling.

* * *

Back at the Rosemary Fields district, the region itself looked quiet to begin with. But it didn't take long for a rumble to be heard. Many of the passing citizens took a look around, trying to detect the source of the noise.

And from within the back alleys of the diner, a white machine started to emerge. Seconds later, it fully showed itself in the sky as a flying machine with a simple white and blue color scheme placed around it.

As soon as it found its place high in the sky, it started to head across the districts of the city as if it was nothing more than a doll's house collection. It then aimed towards the castle, which by then was looking like one of the most dominant aspects of the city.

"We're almost approaching the ruins of John Moors", Fox spoke with a determined tone. "Hold on tight everyone!"

As Fox said that, the Arwing started to cross the water. At some extent it was seen making a low dip towards it, yet as soon as one of its wings touched it, it quickly shot straight back into the sky once again.

Fletch removed his hat, brought his head out of the window and took a look at the viewpoint. The misty clouds gave him a slightly blurred focus as he looked across the city, yet the thrill of the air blowing in his face was one that gave him a smile.

"So, THIS is an Arwing", he said while retaining his expression of wonder.

"Of course this is", said Fox. "Usually it doesn't carry this many, but I've been lucky to have Peppy - I mean, Senator Hare, to modify this one specifically for air tours of the city. I'm glad this came to be useful."

Calmly, Fletch closed the window and looked on at Fox, whom gave off a smile back from the cockpit. He sat down in the seating area, which basically had a set of four seats to the west and east wings.

It didn't take long for the ship to start hovering directly over the island. The group looked through the windows, and it was there that they saw the ship's shadow among the floor. They knew that they were almost there.

"Everyone prepare for landing!" Fox commanded the others.

And so, the group were left to get back into their seats and buckled up their seatbelts if they didn't already. Fox looked at them, and as soon as he knew that they were secure, he circled the ship around the island while making a steady descent.

As soon as the ship made one lap around the citadel, it brought out its wheels and made a steeper drop towards the ground. By then, the group were seen holding on each other's hands as it came further and further to the ground.

The ship then made a stop among a beach-like area. Placing its wheels among the dunes, it skidded and made its way to a halt near a triplet of decaying trees that looked as if they didn't see leaves in years.

As soon as the ship powered down, all eight personnel made their way out into the open. Fox was the first to do so, just dispatching himself from the cockpit and making a direct landing onto the floor.

The others followed suit via forming an inflatable staircase near the passenger exit and making their way onto the dry territories themselves. They focused, and then they found their direction – a small hillside path leading to a ruin-like structure.

"Let's attend to the pedestal!" Sora exclaimed.

Darkwing jumped into the air while clicking his heels. "I call shotgun!"

Before Darkwing could make his run, the rest of the group ran straight past him, with Fox going as far as to stepping on his feet, causing him to scream. That left him to hop his way up the hill, at a slower pace than the others.

It didn't take long for them to make their way straight to the top of the hill. And right there, they were greeted by a set of stone pillars around what looked like a sundial resting within them. A small opening was seen in the middle of it, rather than a slab to allow the shadow to tell the time.

"This must be it!" Joanna shouted. "Fletch, use the Goose's Heart!"

"We believe in you!" cheered Ratchet while raising a fist in the air.

Fletch went into his rucksack and opened a small pocket. There, he took out the white stone, glistening into the sun as he looked onto it. He gave off a confident smile as he made his way towards it.

"Here we go!"

And so he made his way straight towards the heart of the ruins. He went up a set of stairs that lead towards the pedestal, with his shadow gradually shifting as the skies became redder and redder.

As soon as he got there, he then placed the stone within the pedestal. There was a wait for several seconds to see what would result from the placement of the stone, his eye as well as those for the other members of the group to show deep anticipation.

However, nothing happened.

He gave off a whimper as he took a hold on the gem itself, which somehow slid itself out from the pedestal really easily. With a frown, he tried to place it back inside, only to see the same thing happen once more.

"...what?" Fletch shouted with a confused glance.

"Fletch, what's going on?" asked Jade.

He tried to push the gem, but no matter how much force could be used, nothing would happen. He picked it up and saw the hole for itself – unlike itself, which was smooth and thin, the stone was broad and edgy.

"The gem won't fit!" he shouted to the others.

With a scream of pain, he took a hold onto the stone again and tried to place it within the hole once more. However, Fox somehow knew that he was starting to struggle his way through the procedure.

"That's not supposed to be!" he exclaimed curiously. "The Goose's Heart is made to never break and always fit into that gap. Let me take a look."

He made his walk past the other members of the group and made his way straight through towards Fletch. As soon as he got there, he made his way to the other side of the pedestal and picked up the stone.

He inspected its shape really carefully, and then he inspected the hole within the pedestal. Just like how Fletch found out, there was no way that they would be able to connect to one another that easily.

"Either someone's done some really good misshaping of the gem or this isn't the gem itself", concluded Fox.

"I don't get it", Spider-Man sighed. "Is Dimitri having us on, again?"

"Now I see why Baron Praxis would refer to him as a 'complete bastard' of a guy", Jade quoted with an irritated look.

They were about to talk upon one another about the events, when all of a sudden, a crack was heard in the air. They looked towards the east, and saw what looked like a red/green firework shoot up into the sky.

"There's no way you'll see the light of day again!"

The voice that followed from there sounded very familiar, as if they sensed the figure before. Yet it was Jade whose eyes instantly shone at the sound of it, ready to point a finger on who shouted the battle cry.

"Talk of the devil! That's Praxis!"

"So that means that he and Axel must be here!" Sora followed. "But... how?"

Fox looked at the others with a serious glance. "There's no time to figure that out. We have to hurry!"

And so they all started to run – or in the case of Darkwing, roll on his side – down the hill and towards the Eastern area of the island. The fireworks were still seen flying high, showing that there could be a lot of danger in the area where Axel and Praxis resided.

Various thoughts went through Fletch's mind – Dimitri being deceitful to the group once again, the gemstone itself having problems fitting in the pedestal, and now it could be pure danger to try and get around the citadel itself.

But those thoughts had to be placed right behind him if he and the gang needed to stand a chance at saving them both. No matter how they survived crossing the water, it was him and only him and his accomplices that would assure that the pair would escape from the island.

* * *

Near the other side of the island, there stood to be a tall back door around another side of the citadel. Surrounding it were several shadowed creatures, many of which wielding long dreadlocks for hairstyles.

Standing nearby were Axel and Praxis, both of them with their respective swords withdrawn, used for the purpose of offence and defence. One of the shadowed creatures made their move, and tried to tackle Axel straight on.

He used his chakrams to block it off before he tried to attack it by brute force. But before anything could happen, the figure suddenly vanished from view and re-appeared near one of the citadel's walls.

"These guys are too fast!" complained Axel. "How are we to cope with them?"

Praxis instantly turned towards his partner. "I'm sure they'll get weaker sooner or later. It'll happen!"

The creatures started to make their raid once again, jumping straight towards the two of them. This time, Praxis was on hand to use his sword to block the group and attempt to attack, yet once again they vanished before he could even touch them.

He looked around for the shadows that vanished, yet it didn't take long for a white glow to distract his attention, shining into his remaining good eye with a powerful glare. A shadow was seen charging a plasma blast in its own two hands.

"Duck!" Axel shouted with his eyes widening.

The plasma blast was launched, and in an instant, Praxis managed to duck towards the ground, with Axel charging from behind and using his chakrams to deflect the blast straight into the sky, before suddenly transforming into a man-made explosion of lightning.

He charged towards the creature once more, holding his chakrams with his arms spread wide, but it wasn't until further footsteps started to distract his attention. He looked up towards one of the hillsides, and noticed Fletch making his approach.

"Guys, what's going on?" he asked them both.

He attempted to slide down one of the hillsides, but before he could even do that, he was brought to a sudden stop by Fox, whom managed to keep him in one place. All that resulted were some debris falling down the slope and in a crumpled heap on the level ground.

It didn't take long for the rest of the group to show up near the edge of the cliff. Eventually, they all had to come down thanks to Darkwing hopping a step too far and ending up rolling down the slope, coming near Axel's feet.

"Tell me!" Fletch continued to plea. "We can help you!"

"Kid, we tried to break open the entrance to the fortress by force", Axel began speaking, "and these guys just came out of nowhere!"

Axel pointed straight on at the shadowed creatures, and right there they steadily approached the group with such menacing postures around them. Many of which remained on level ground, while the others made their pacing among the citadel walls.

"I can see how gruesome they look", Fletch frowned. "How do you think we should tackle them?"

"Whatever you do, brute force might not work", said Praxis as he shook his head. "We tried that, and look at the consequences!"

The Baron pointed towards a pair of shadows at the back, one of which attempting to poke the other's stomach. But before that could be done, it vanished and re-appeared directly behind him, giving out an ear-piercing cackle.

Their very actions left Fletch to show a more uncertain facial expression than the usual, as he took a tight grasp around his spear and made a further walk towards the monsters. There seemed to be a lot to tackle in one do.

"We need to test every little gray cell we've got if we need to outsmart these guys", blinked Fletch. "But I don't get how we should get around them."

"Don't worry about a thing", Fox followed. "We can work together on this once we put our minds to it."

Fletch looked behind him and saw Fox showing as much as a determined glance as he is. Though, unlike Fletch whom seemed to be keen to fight, Fox spent more time analysing his opponents while squinting one of his eyes.

"Besides, there are just as many monsters as there are people here", summarised Fox. "We should be able to make quick work of them in their entirety."

"Hmmm", Fletch pondered quietly.

Fletch was left to do the same. And true to Fox's word, there were ten shadows, enough for everyone present to take a creature apiece. Having seen that, the boy gave out a confident smile upon his face.

And then, he walked slightly closer, being careful not to get too close to the range of the standing shadows as he did so. The others looked on at him as if he was ready to make a gigantic risk towards the rest of the team.

"If we'll take your word for it, I'm all in. Let's get in there!"

He raised his spear into the air and pointed it forward, where by then it started to glow with a more mood-settling white color around it. The others steadily followed him as they made their approach.

As soon as they were about 5 feet away from the creatures, they brought their bodies into combat stances, with the monsters doing the same. Fletch brought out his hands to signify them to prepare to fight them.

And then he raised them into the air, causing the group to branch off into two separate packs among the two shadows. That left Fletch to duel with one last shadow – one that stood directly into the center.

There, it withdrew what looked like a lance made out of darkness. Fletch and the creature were then seen combating in a small duel, trying to make their way towards inflicting straight damage towards one another.

Back with the others, Jade and Joanna somehow managed to eliminate their targets early by using whatever weapons they could to strike them in any old location. They both went on to help out Ratchet and Darkwing respectively.

"How do you like this, bad boy?" Fletch taunted the creature that he combated against.

Fletch continued to jump around the creature, which continued to swing its weapon with all of its might towards him. He retaliated by further using his own spear to try and strike him upon the front.

However, unlike the other shadows that would vanish upon contact, the spear's tip ended up sinking into its stomach like it was being pushed through play-dough. The creature then inflated its belly, causing Fletch to be sent flying back a few feet.

"Crikey, your front seems tough!"

As a result, he tripped up over a rock and fell onto his back, skidding back a further few inches. It didn't take long for him to get back up on both feet, still wielding his spear and ready to make his walk towards it again.

He ran towards the monster and once again proceeded to attack. But before he could even do that, the creature itself used its lance to further attempt to strike Fletch upon any of his stable body parts. Yet he reacted by taking a hold of its head and frog-leaping over it.

"Missed me!" he giggled while doing the jump.

He landed on the floor steadily, sending his spear directly behind him. But as he did so, a pop sound was heard. He looked behind him, and saw his spear etched within the creature's back, causing it to dissolve into ash and leave to blow in the wind once settled on the floor.

"Wait, I might have figured it out!" Fletch shouted excitedly.

The shout caused the Baron to make a stop in his tracks. "What?"

"Try hitting the back, not the front! You might have missed the point completely!"

Praxis looked on at the creature that was making its approach towards him. Though significantly smaller than the creature that Fletch thought, there was something about its teeth that still looked vile and deadly.

But before any damage could be caused, that too was starting to dissolve into nothing. Showing up from right behind it was Axel, whom had a confident glance as his chakrams glistened in the deep sunset skies.

"Got it memorised?" he asked Praxis with a devious tone.

"Shut up", sighed the Baron.

There, Praxis was determined to use his sword to strike his comrade upon the head, but that was before another roar was heard. Another shadowed creature was being seen, starting to make a threatening approach towards them with footsteps of thunder.

Its shadow soon covered the two of them, as it got ready to make its sweep straight down towards the pair. Its jaws started to show a menacing white glow upon them, leaving them both to hold onto their respective weapons and step forward themselves.

"Let's take care of business!" Axel commanded his partner.

And there, they both made a direct run towards the back. Yet in spite of its size, the creature continued to turn itself around to the point that they are left unable to harm its back. But it didn't mean that all could be lost.

As graceful as they could, they both slid underneath the creature's legs like penguins sliding on snow. And as soon as they got to the other side, they used their weapons to attack the monster on the back and leave it to dissolve into nothing.

"Bite the dust!" shouted Ratchet from another area of the clearing.

The lombax himself was having an easier ride with one of the creatures, the one he fought in particular being one that is just about his own size. He withdrew his spanner and used it to block whichever bullet attacks can even touch it.

And then he was able to make his move. He took his position among one of the smaller rocks around the area, made a leap from there over the creature and used his wrench to strike the creature from behind.

"That wasn't as tough as I was expecting!" Ratchet smiled confidently.

"These guys seem to be quick on their feet too!"

Ratchet looked around and looked straight on at Spider-Man, whom seemed to have his own hands full with another one of the shadows. There he was, jumping from rock to rock, using his web stream to try and slow it down.

But no matter what, the shots would either completely miss the shadows or go straight through them, even if he did try to shoot them from the back. The creature then retaliated by making a leap towards him, causing him to leap his way towards the south of the clearing.

"I need a hand here!" Spidey exclaimed from his current position.

All that Spidey could do was wait patiently as he saw the creatures come closer and closer towards him. All he could do is sigh as he waited for the creatures to do whatever is possible to pummel him.

But all of a sudden, the creature froze and faded into ashes, just like many of the others. Spidey looked over the ashes and somehow saw Fox behind the creature, with his pistol pointed straight ahead at Spidey.

"There you go", he said with a determined glance. "One defeated monster just like that!"

Spidey showed a face of gratitude. "Thanks Fox!"

Fox gave out a confident smile as he went on to tackle the remaining creatures. Though he wasn't the one that would single-handedly take them all on, they still evaporated within the space of a few seconds between them.

It didn't take long until the level ground area was almost completely empty. The group then looked on ahead, and right there they saw the last remaining shadow, standing sheepishly near the citadel's back door.

"There's just one more left", gestured Fletch. "We need to make sure it doesn't go very far."

Darkwing gave out a light chuckle. "This figurehead is ours for the taking!"

The duck started to make his charge towards the creature, almost confident that he could be able to tackle it head on. The creature, however, responded by standing completely still as if it was a zombie.

But before any collisions could even happen, it raised its hands into the air, causing what looked like a bright yellow plasma bolt shoot itself from around the ground, quaking the ground and making its move towards Darkwing like a mole in the ground.

"Yaieee!!!" he screamed as he tried to escape from the plasma bolt's grasp.

It didn't take long for him to run as far as one of the cliff faces. And as soon as he got there, he ended up taking hiding there, as the bolt somehow started to fade straight into nothing. No matter what, the action left him to shake his tail feathers while covering his head with his hands.

"Darkwing!" Joanna shouted towards him. "Let me give you a hand!"

She then jumped straight forward and used her pistols to attack it when it was spinning around, on the hope that she would catch its back. She soon made her way directly over it, knowing that she'd have it cornered.

But she tried to shoot it on the back; yet before it would get struck, it jumped straight up and landed near Darkwing, pulling a raspberry. Joanna continued to shoot, but the creature jumped again, with the bullets landing near Darkwing's tail feathers.

"Mind my feet!!" he exclaimed loudly while stamping his webbed feet on the ground.

With a blush and a growl showing on her face at exactly the same time, she made a giant leap towards the creature. This time around, she placed her pistol away, jumped to the side of the creature and kicked it from behind.

The creature, like the other nine before it, dissolved into black ashes, leaving them to trail within the wind. That left Joanna to give off a confident smile as she made her walk straight towards the middle of the clearing.

"Just like that", she smirked while walking away from the scene. "This is why I'm referred to as Perfect Dark."

Ratchet looked on at her with a leer. "I just wish you'd stop being all smug like that."

Ratchet was left to growl at her, but before he could do anything about it, Spider-Man came from behind and held his arms into place before any fisticuffs could ensue. All that the lombax could do was growl on at him.

While that happened, the rest of the group started to make their way towards the citadel's back door. And right there, the neon lights that graced it started to turn into a shade of blue rather than the standard green they were currently graced with.

"So, now that the monsters are gone, does that mean we can actually get through?" Sora asked the others.

Darkwing gave out a broad smile as he approached the key bearer. "If that's the case, you know that I will be the propaganda with all the news to sell to the tabloids!"

Upon the mention of that, Darkwing jumped straight into the air and clicked his heels together, knowing that he would return from the island with a tale to tell. However, all that Sora showed was a face of confusion.

"I don't know what you mean by that" he replied, "but regardless of what has happened, the door hasn't budged. No matter what we do, it could be dangerous to find a way inside."

He turned straight back towards the doors, with the colour transitioning still occurring. The sight of them would leave him to wonder how it would affect the door and whether the group in general would get access inside.

But all of a sudden, the neon lights started to turn into an intense shade of red and two hatches from the side opened up, bringing out a foghorn from each of them. The sight left the group to collectively take a step back.

"Then again", Sora began again, "we still might not be safe OUTSIDE."

Jade suddenly pointed straight up. "Look!"

Jade gestured towards the edges of the island, where coming out from the ground, slowly but steadily, were pairs of golden electrodes pointing straight up into the sky. Her face started to show concern upon their arrival.

_"Trespassers detected"_, spoke a monologue computer generated voice. _"Prepare for elimination in two minutes."_

By then, the rods were completely out of the ground, with blue openings showing upon them, revealing silver poles that will interconnect with one another. Even the island was starting to heat up steadily.

"This can't be good for us!" panicked Fox. "How are we to escape from here?"

Fletch took a hold on his torso as he ran. "We need to run back to the Arwing, now!"

"There's not even enough time for that! We can't leave the island in that stretch of time!"

But Fletch didn't listen. He started to make his run out of the area by reaching the hill he was on later. But by the time he got there he ended up realising that no matter how fast he can run, it would be impossible to climb the hill and return to the Arwing in time.

At that moment in time, the ground was starting to heat up intensely, as well as have a more gritty texture when walking upon. Fletch tried to wonder what was going on; however, before he could come to any conclusion, Axel quickly took a hold of his shoulders and dragged him aside.

"Quick, take the boat!"

Fletch paused with a blank expression. "The boat?"

Axel pointed straight ahead, to the most direct south direction. And lo and behold, there was what looked like a cross between a catamaran and a speedboat. There was a dock and a small mast right on top of the ship, with a staircase leading underneath it to a lower floor.

Axel and Fletch ran together towards it, hoping to get onto it before the time limit expires. As that happened, Praxis quickly dashed through the rocks by using the remaining sliding dunes to help him get through to the ship's docking bay.

"Hop on, before you're turned to next Thanksgiving's dinner!"

As quickly as possible, Fletch jumped onto Axel's back, leaving them both to come straight onto the ship together. While the latter landed firmly on both feet, the landing caused the boy to lose his grip and fall onto his back onto the floor.

Fox followed suit by doing the same dune-sliding technique that Praxis did, only to come up short in the leap onto the ship's deck, leading him to hold onto the edge of the barge. Axel was there to help him up onto the ship.

_"Trespassers to be eliminated in 5... 4... 3..."_

Spider-Man managed to come on safely by using his web stream to connect to the ship's mast and catapult himself onto the dock, being careful not to land on anyone upon landing. Ratchet followed in a similar fashion with a Slingshot gadget – a four-pronged and versatile variation on a grappling hook.

Darkwing tried to do the sliding technique down there, but he only just failed to reach the ship's edge and fell straight into the water. That left him to be used as a stepping stone for Jade, whom made her ascent by holding her Dai-Jo and allowing for Spider-Man to hoist her up with his web stream.

_"2... 1..."_

Joanna and Sora made their way, with the former climbing on top of the keyblade master as they reached the edge of the island. Darkwing made his way back onto dry land and climbed onto the pair of them so that they were in a stack. As they collectively held each others' hands and feet, the others pulled them all onto the boat, making sure that they would end up firmly onto the ship.

_"Electric floor activated."_

The dunes were quickly blown away from the floor, revealing metallic grated floor upon the ground. A charged glow of white light started to shine all around it, leaving the group to think about what would happen if they remained there.

The electrodes were next to follow in that direction, now connected into a set of inter-linking fences around a huge proportion of the island. At that instance, the light intensity was getting to be brighter than a dozen suns altogether.

And then, sparks started to fill the area. The electric floor was set alight, as were the fences. To their knowledge, they would then know that the entire island was cast under a wave of death threatening electric energy.

All that Fletch could do was watch on with a reflective and solemn look at the light as the ship made its departure, heading through the southern waters towards the main population areas of the city.

"So it has come to this. If we ever go back to that citadel, things will be even more dangerous than ever."

"We must not give up hope", said Jade as she came closer. "Just because we can't traverse the ground on foot doesn't mean we can find a good flyer that can help us deactivate the fields if possible."

Jade looked towards the skies, on the hope of finding a perfect creature that can help out with that. But with there being no sign of such a creature, she ended up sitting down and looking on at the others.

"Fox, do you have any ideas?" Joanna asked him.

Fox placed a hand to his chin and stroked it gently. "I guess Spyro can hover above the ground, though not for extended periods of time. The last time I checked, he could end up touching the ground again after 30 seconds."

"Well, excuse me for asking", she replied with a disappointed look while folding her arms.

Fox extended one of his hands to stroke her back carefully. "Don't worry about it. I appreciate your opinions in coming around, but I still think there are some stronger flyers here."

With a small sigh, Joanna made her way straight to Jade, exchanging a similar facial expression upon her. By then, the waters under the boat started to feel significantly calmer, being of easier comfort to them both.

Most of the male party members ended up coming towards Fletch eventually, making their pacing directly over to his side. Spidey in particular managed to reach into Fletch's rucksack, and pulled out the gem that he tried to place in the pedestal.

"And even if we do try to break down the barrier", Spidey addressed, "how will we get through and put the Glass Heart on the pedestal, even if this is a fake?"

"Let me try and analyse it", Axel gestured as he steered the ship. "Praxis, you drive."

"I'm on it."

Axel released his grip on the wheel, leaving Praxis to take a hold of it and steer the team towards the city's inner regions. That left the former to walk towards both Fletch and Spidey and pick up the gem.

With an eye squinting as he looked on at it, he observed the structure of the gem as hard as they could. Yet, there was something about the lack of reflections of himself upon the surface that would tell him more than he would have wanted to see.

"Wait a sec, this is barely a diamond!"

"It is?" Ratchet asked curiously.

"It looks more like a carved pearl than a genuine diamond", sighed Axel. "Dimitri must-"

"-be having us on", Spidey finished his sentence. "We already know that."

"But if Dimitri doesn't have the diamond, or might not know where it is, where else can we look for one of those things?" Fletch questioned the others.

"You've got a point", Darkwing spoke with a shaky tone. "We can't traverse the entire city looking for such random diamonds to fit in that gap."

"Of course", Axel conversed bitterly, "especially with an almost awkward shape like that!"

With a growl, Axel slammed the gem onto the ground, causing Fletch to startle and pick it up from its landing. He took a tight grip upon it, and placed it straight back into his rucksack, where it should reside for a while longer.

After that, he went towards a nearby seating area, looked over the edge and looked towards the water. Unlike his joyful expression when riding Fox's Arwing towards the island, his facial expression looked more subdued, knowing that he was unable to get inside the citadel.

"We're facing a fork in the canal", yelled Praxis. "Where should we go, Fletch?"

Fletch looked up from his position, and onto Praxis, whom was gesturing at the area of the waters they reached. On one side of the fork was a way through some watery areas of the White Dragonfly District. On the other was a route through green pipes, presumably through the Green Goomba District.

Yet, Fletch's attention remained on the shape of the gem to fit inside the hole, and how pure a diamond it should be for it to fit. Those thoughts remained in his mind, and after several seconds of silence, he stated a target destination.

"Coco's Diner."

_-end of chapter-_


	9. Spyro's Challenge

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Another quiet week, but I seemed to be satisfied though. Commentary is, as usual, much appreciated.

Looking back over the last chapter, it was cool to try a plot twist, though I do admit to being a bit overboard with electric defences. Still I was hoping for something that could get really dangerous when approached without caution, so there we go. I also think it would tie in well with the general premise with the next chapter.

I also would have also loved to beat Dimitri to death right about now too, but who knows? For now we have to settle with unveiling another member of the Scarlet Wolf team in this chapter. Those who played Ratchet & Clank 3 would know who Courtney Gears is - the robot popstar from the anti-"squishy" movement. I wanted to see if I could give a little bit of limelight to Ratchet for once, and I hope I did this okay.

So here we are, the next chapter. As we saw by the end of the previous one, there was a decision made to return to Coco's Diner on an issue relating to the Goose's Heart gem.

Thanks in advance for reading through this!

Peace out,

-Rexy-

_

* * *

__Night turned into day, and when the time was right, I felt geared up ready for a brand new venture to school. As usual, I dropped off Akumi, went to do my classes for the morning, and as soon as that was over, I started to head outside with the other kids. _

_The recess crowds were really packed. Here I was, wading through child after child after child, trying to look for a glimpse of the boy who tried to save me the other day. But alas, in an active place like a school playground, it would be so hard to even take notice of him. _

_The crowds continued to pack as the time went on, making time to find him even harder. Surely, there must be a way to be able to attract his attention rather than getting in a fight? I don't want to lose my other eye to those thugs that tried to combat me the other day. _

_"Where is that guy", I thought to myself. _

_Patiently and quietly, I took refuge under a nearby tree. I went on a lone rock, and opened the rucksack that I managed to take with me. As soon it was open, the scent of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches filled the air. _

_I looked to the left, and then to the right, being careful not to wonder if there will be any jocks hoping to assault me and my food like they did yesterday. But there was no response. I sighed peacefully as I went towards my lunch. _

_Just when I was a few bites into it, I felt a shadow creeping over me. I looked around my view, and yet, it didn't seem to want my attention. With that, I minded my own business once again, until… _

_"Hey, take that, you worthless punk!" _

_I raised my head again. Once again, there was no guy near me. But one turn did make me pay attention towards a younger kid than me being assaulted by the seniors. I was glad that the shout wasn't aimed at me this time. _

_But in spite of that, I knew that action had to be taken. I jumped off the rock, consumed the rest of my sandwich as I ran, and it wasn't long until I finally reached the ambush scene. But before I could even get there… there was a guttural instinct causing me to slow down and take hiding somewhere. What if I would get creamed just like the victim there? _

_"Leave him alone!" shouted a familiar voice. _

_I looked ahead. And from a nearby pillar, there came the blonde haired boy with the fuzzy hat and the long purple coat from before. His clothes didn't change much at all, and neither did his hair and his deep green eyes. _

_He then stood to be chin to chin with the seniors and gave off a deep scowl upon him. He brought his fists into the air with a vicious scowl placed around his teeth. The gesture alone left the seniors' faces to turn white. _

_"How do you feel if I came up to you and turned you upside down for loose change?" he questioned the seniors with a cocky expression. _

_They remained silent, shaking for several seconds, until they started to make a hesitant dash towards a nearby corner of the playground. Their actions made me believe that I got fooled for a bunch of posers. _

_I eventually got out from my position and made my way straight towards the blonde haired boy. I was sure that he was the figure that helped me out from yesterday's pickle, and there was something I had to do to prove it. _

_"Hey!" I called out to him. _

_He quickly turned towards me, maintaining his scowled look. Even when I started to walk towards him, there was still something about his face that looked really tense and menacing towards any suspecting rule breaking child. _

_"Are you the guy who saved me the other day?" I carefully asked. _

_I placed my hand towards his, and looked closer and closer towards him. I was hoping for him to provide a response, but instead, he remained silent. His menacing stature suddenly started to relax into a more solemn look. _

_His face turned into a small smile, and he gave out a gentle nod towards me. It was then that I knew that I found the boy that would do anything to help anyone in need. All that I needed to do was show my gratitude. _

_"I just want to say thank you for saving me. You seemed to really understand me." _

_"I think you already did. Trying to adjust to each other is the one thing that we struggled to do." _

_I looked at him with a wide-eyed expression upon my own eyes. And it didn't take long for him to bring one of his arms around my shoulder, with one of the most confident facial expressions at this side of the staffroom window. _

_"We've got 15 minutes of recess left, so we should see if we can have a conversation together. The name's Han Willis." _

_"Hi. I'm Fletch Davis." _

_He brought one of his hands under my cap and raised it in the air. After that he used his other hand to rub onto it. Naturally, I felt the instinct to do exactly the same towards his own head, after he crouched down of course. _

_By the time all the tomfoolery came to make its stop, we then gave each other our hats back and went towards the same tree that I ate my sandwich next to. We both sat down on the rock and gave out reassuring looks towards one another. _

_"I can tell by that facial expression that you needed a friend to care for you", said Han in what sounded like a tone expected of an elder brother. "I'm sure you've just found the guy."" _

_I looked back at his eyes, and he looked back at mine. There was something about his facial expression that felt somewhat positive. I then rolled back my cheek bones to bring a smile through, knowing that we may end up closer than I thought. _

_In the fifteen minutes that went by between then and the bell for the afternoon classes to ring, we both played together among what was left among the playground. The playground was that brightly decorated, almost anything could want to occur among its simple chalk carvings. _

_The minutes ticked away, and what we did in the amount of time that remained were played a few games of hopscotch together, tried to climb up various trees, and got involved in a small study corner. _

_He looked over my geography homework from the night before. I was confused on various facts, and it was there that he would offer to help me out. Some of my answers were corrected, though somehow I knew he'd make a faithful study guide. _

_We spent the final few minutes sharing the remaining portions of our lunch together, and just as when we were to split a peeled orange in half, the bell rang. Quickly we pulled together and placed our resulting food within our own rucksacks. _

_"You know, I really am starting to warm up to you", I said to Han with a smile. _

_"Me too, we should hang out like this more often. Though that doesn't mean I'll stop protecting the weak." _

_I paused for a minute, before giving out a curious blink. "Just out of question, how did you get that kind of attitude anyway?" _

_"It's a long story. I'll see if I can get around to explaining it some other time." _

_He stood up from the rock that we sat upon, and started making his way towards the other kids, whom by now were crowding their way to get inside. All that I could do was get up and go and follow him. _

_There's still so much that I wanted to know about Han. He seems to be the most positive individual that I might have witnessed in my time at school; a mind like that doesn't seem like something that would come overnight. _

_"Maybe I'll mention more at some point this week, Fletch. In the meantime I'm proud of the way I am, and nothing is going to change that." _

_"And so am I." _

_With a wide-eyed smile, I brought out a small embrace towards Fletch. As I did so, various heads were turned, wondering how a young boy like me could huddle up upon someone like a seven-year-old girl. _

_But instead of giving out an irritated glance, he looked at me and gave out a very encouraging wink. I released my grip, and because of my eye making me unable to express winks properly, I just gave out a peace sign from one of my hands instead. _

_We both separated for our own classes. And I was to face the same situation as before – rough geography lessons, but not only have I seen the boy again but he also helped me out in more ways than one. One of these days, I will need to repay the favor. _

* * *

Day 4 

_A mysterious dungeon location, 6:45PM _

Outside in the city of Theoropolis, the sunset skies were turning to a more passionate crimson red color. The winds started to turn from gentle and warm to becoming more tense and cold in preparation for the coming evening.

But there were still various areas of the city that remained in a more consistent darkness. Various underground areas felt that condition, as did a dungeon that is currently unknown to the rest of the city.

One end of the passageway was covered in blue and gray bricks among its walls, where Senator Cortex was seen standing in the middle of it, looking up towards a dim torch shining down towards his head.

"Sonic is ours!" he exclaimed with competence. "Let's see if we can keep up the pace and continue to cripple the spirit of the city."

"But how should we do that?" questioned Ripto. "Up to now you seem to be just finding the right guys by luck."

"Not anymore! Do you see what I found?"

He turned towards Ripto with a confident look, and brought his hand inside his coat. Further rummaging later soon left him to pull out a small gem, revealing it in his hand towards his accomplice.

It was a green gem with Ariel's Emblem, looking almost exactly like those held by Spyro and Rayman, except that this one when turned on its back had a running hedgehog silhouette placed upon it.

"Is that an emblem of Theoropolis?" asked Ripto.

Cortex gave off a brief nod. "Exactly; I know that we already have our means of traversing the city, but I have a feeling that with something like this we may even find more possible ways to overcome the Emperor."

He carefully placed the gem back inside his coat, knowing that it could serve as a key to help tackle whichever key components on his raid would even be possible. His glare of determination was shown in the eyes of Ripto, who looked on at him with an equally potent look.

But before anything further could be done, the sound of footsteps caught their attention. Both of them looked around, trying to sense whoever could be raiding the underground den that they were utilising.

"Senator Cortex!"

They looked ahead and saw a small figure in a purple hood. It made its run straight towards the pair, making a skidding stop right in front of their feet. Quickly, it brought down its hood to reveal its identity.

The distinctive blonde hair and deep green eyes showed him to be Han. Upon looking on at the pair, he showed a look of half-fear half-determination, while Ripto gave out a broader smile than any satisfied look that Garfield could pull off.

"I'm ready for whatever task you want me to go for next", said Han while performing a salute at the end.

"Excellent."

With a sneer, Cortex made his walk down the pedestal and made his way towards level ground. Steadily and cautiously, he made his walk towards the entrance to the room, where another torch was seen, this time waiting to be picked up.

He took a hold of it and guided Han straight out of the room. Both of them walked together in the cold winds and the dampened floors, making their way through to wherever the exit of the dungeon could be.

"For now we're still trying to figure out which direction to go next in the raid", addressed Cortex, "but there is still one objection that I want you to face on the way down there."

He came to a sudden stop right in front of me, and just as he did that, he went towards a nearby poster. There, there was a small crude drawing of a boy wearing what looked like sailor's garb and had black hair.

"Please, kill the boy who's been trying to meddle into these affairs in the first place!" Cortex ordered as he pointed at the picture.

Han shook his head rapidly. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Fletch is my friend!" pleaded Han. "I just came here to track down both him and Akumi. Ripto promised me that you'll lead me to her if I follow his commands, but there's no way I'll hurt anyone at all!"

Han continually shook his head at Cortex, easily showing that he would be lead to Akumi without being committed to what could essentially be a pact with devil spawn. His determined expression easily showed that.

It got to the point that he brought one of his hands tightly around Cortex's neck, and preparing his other fist ready to punch him straight into the face. But before anything could happen, wet footsteps were heard from behind him.

"Perhaps you may need a bit of convincing, then?"

Han turned towards Ripto, whom by now was seen standing firmly near the lit room and showing himself as a mere silhouette. Only one thing was glowing upon him – a golden sceptre with a ruby placed inside it.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" Han asked viciously. "Keep that thing away from-"

It was too late. Ripto sent out a flash of light from the sceptre, and it reached Han with such intense light speed that it struck his eyes before it could even react. He remained as still as a statue upon the glance.

Ripto then gestured the wand as it was a conductor's baton, resulting in Han making a walk towards him; his pacing showed him taking gentle strides with his hands hanging low and his eyes not blinking once. The orange creature gave out a devilish smirk as he saw the flash to be a success.

* * *

Nightfall was almost ready to make its way towards the White Dragonfly District, which by then the lamps that covered the area was being lit by the firefly creatures – now revealed to be dragonflies of varying colors – as the occupants decided to depart for the evening.

The gentle lighting illuminated various regions beyond the district, even going as far to hit the storage room window of Coco's Diner. By then, Fletch and the group were seen running from the White Dragonfly District's port towards the building.

Cautiously, Fletch took a hold on the door, taking a hold of the fake Goose's Heart in his hand as he was about to make his entry. He looked inside, and saw various candles lit up, causing the diamonds floating above to glow in the moody lighting.

"Coco!"

Fletch's shout caused Coco to pay attention towards him. She looked on from a nearby table, where she was seen cleaning up what looked like biscuit crumbs from a simple strawberry cheesecake.

With quick haste, Fletch ran towards the table, and as soon as he got there, he slammed the fake Goose's Heart onto there, his remaining eye starting to show tension as he looked directly into her giant green eyes.

"Who gave you some of the diamonds you have on display?" asked the boy.

"I don't know, maybe some shady black market trader. Why?"

"We need one of these to activate the doors at the castle on the John Moors district", commanded Sora as he went behind Fletch and almost knocked him to the floor.

"What do you mean?" Coco confusedly asked. "Don't you have the Goose's Heart?"

"Look at this!" roared Axel as he ran to Coco while knocking both Fletch and Sora to the floor. "It's just a stupid carved pearl shaped like a diamond! Got it memorized?"

Starting to show flames burning upon him without even burning his own cloak, Axel took a hold of the fake Goose's Heart and went as far as shoving it right in front of Coco's eyes. She reacted by leaning back, trying not to get hurt.

It didn't take long until she crept her way underneath Axel's arms, making her way straight back towards the others. Many personnel in Fletch's group showed as much concern as he did, leaving her to look up at the ceiling.

"You guys may be right about this", Coco reassured them. "We need to attend to this right now."

Almost instantly, she went straight towards the back of the room and took a hold of a small wooden ladder. She went towards the center of the room and placed it straight in the middle of the two pillars.

As soon as she reached the step on top of it, she pressed a button with one of her feet, causing the platform that she stood on to extend to the point that she was able to reach the ceiling whenever she would want to.

"I don't even know how the pedestal came up in the first place, but I still found it interesting to read about the geologies of the varying districts around the city. Assuming that the Goose's Heart takes a narrow shape in the gap, I should be able to detect what I'm looking for."

She looked among the giant gems that were right in front of her. Many of them took a lot of different shapes, ranging from flat shield-like tones to full prism-based shapes, many of which shining more elegantly than the carved pearl posing as the Heart.

Eventually, she saw what looked like a pointed diamond amongst the set that she was seeing. She pulled it out and looked carefully – the bottom point of it looked smooth and polished, and resembled more of a shape to fit in the hole in the pedestal.

"I think I've got it."

She used her feet to lower the ladder's platform towards the ground, and once down there, she climbed down the few steps remaining and passed the gem straight into Fletch's hand. He looked onto it as it shone gently within the candlelight.

"Tell me if it doesn't work again, and I'll help you search for it", said Coco with a wink.

Coco placed one of her hands onto Fletch's cheeks, leaving him to smile gently towards her. There was something about her face that seemed so pure and innocent – a figure worthy of returning favors if the mission goes down well?

"Thanks", Jade commenced, "but how do you think we should tackle the electric floor that just crept around it? Without a solution, we can't even step foot on the island."

"She's right", nodded Fox. "We doubt that even Spyro can hover above it for extended periods of time in spite of his more recent intense training. That's unless we get some kind of smaller flying machine or something."

Fox looked on at Coco, expecting her to show a hesitant look. But all she did was placed a hand to an elbow and the other hand to her chin, thinking carefully about the situation at hand. Several moments passed as she went in deep thought.

"Smaller flying machine...?"

Eventually, she looked straight up to the lighting above. Her facial expression showed that once again she could be willing to help the team. She looked at them one by one, knowing through them all that any and all help will be of great use.

She turned straight towards the back of the room and made her dash towards various unliveable objects within the darkness. Eventually, she got under a shadowed shelf and obscured herself by the shadow.

"Coco, where are you going?" Spider-Man asked her.

There was no response. It was as if she ended up vanishing in there and somehow not making her way back. But… before all hope was lost, a punctured motorcycle helmet was thrown straight onto the floor.

Then there came a soccer ball, several pieces of wumpa fruit and a plush toy of a dinosaur. Eventually, Coco came out of the darkness, holding a gadget folded neatly into a metallic cube shape. She placed it on a table for everyone to see.

"Here we go - a genuine copter pack. My brother wore this on some of his videogame travels, so it's only fair that he decided to keep it as a souvenir."

She went towards the darkness again, and instead of throwing out any other sets of random objects, she came through with papers in one of her hands. She went to the same table as the group stood.

Once there, she opened the papers to reveal various images of Crash wearing the copter pack. The group looked straight onto them with wondrous expressions upon them… at least, all except Joanna.

"It seems very primitive in comparison to the stuff I'm used to", she spoke with a constructive tone.

"Oh, will you shut up with the ego boosting talk already?" Ratchet brawled. "Look at this - it may be our only chance to traverse the district!"

Before Ratchet could continue to persuade her further, she suddenly sent one of her fists straight towards the lombax's face, causing him to duck under the table and leaving her to cause a crack straight through it.

Ratchet then stood up and growled straight at her, as he went towards his belt and took a hold of his wrench, raised it high above Joanna's head and prepared to strike her with it as a result. But before the swing could be executed…

"Did anyone call for me?"

Ratchet hesitantly placed his wrench down and looked towards the direction of the store room. There, Spyro was seen standing at the door, looking on at Coco with his eyes showing a feeling of curiosity.

"Spyro, we'll need your help and fast", Coco instructed the purple dragon.

"Why do you ask?"

"We need you to take this copter pack and traverse the John Moors district. Take the Goose's Heart and place it on its pedestal, so that Fletch and the others will get inside and reach Emperor Ariel."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Spyro asked with a stern look showing on his face. "Besides, doesn't the device look a little small?"

"Fletch's spear can see a lot more than both of us can put together", she replied while pointing at the object in question. "Anyway, I would advise you to give it a try. I don't think it seems big enough to fit on either Fletch or Darkwing."

Fletch's and Darkwing's faces both started to turn bright pink. "HEY!!"

Leering on at Coco, both of them tried to get over the table and try to reach for her at the same time, but leaning upon them as they tried to get over caused it to eventually snap into two, leaving them to fall straight to the floor.

In the time that happened, Spyro was left to don the copter pack upon him. He looked upon the images of Crash wearing it and compared it to himself in a nearby mirror, which somehow seemed as if it was grasping itself tightly around his torso and the base of his wings.

"It's a bit tight, but I'll manage", he spoke while giving off a shaky yet gentle nod. "It'll at least help me out in my flight training anyway. Just out of question, how did Crash manage with this sort of thing?"

"I don't know", shrugged Coco. "He's not really much of a touchy-feely bandicoot, I would think."

Coco gave out a brief sigh as she walked towards the pictures, rolled them up and placed them straight back into the closet, all before cleaning up the other fallen objects and moving the broken table to one side.

As that happened, Spyro made his walk towards Fletch and the others, looking up at them and knowing that he has a duty to fulfil no matter how small or big it could be. The boy was left to crouch down at him and smile back.

Finally, Coco was done with the tidying of the diner, yet her mind turned to someone else. Blaze. As she walked straight back into the store room, the other personnel gathered around a table in the center of the room.

"Okay, so we've got our hover pack and our guy to take with us", Fletch smiled. "Do you suppose we'll take the boat to reach the island again?"

"We will", replied Fox, "but at this rate our HQ back at the White Dragonfly District would be vulnerable. We need someone to escort Blaze back there."

Axel quickly rose from his seat. "That would be my job. Praxis, you drive the boat."

Praxis's remaining eye showed a mixture of feelings of shock and surprise. "But what if we face another of the remaining Scarlet Wolf team members again? If I show up with Fletch humping my leg, I swear they're going to kill me!!"

"You just follow your instincts and see what happens", shouted Axel as he pointed at his companion. "There's nothing much else to say about those guys."

All that Praxis could do was look on at Axel with a concerned look. There was something about his comrade's glance that would leave him to think that he should continue for the sake of the city.

He looked on at Fletch, whom stood there as an innocent child, steadily becoming stronger with the spear that he was currently wielding. How is it possible for him to be a mortal enemy of his while they both don't intend to harm the city?

"You can count on us!"

The boy jumped straight up into the air and raised his spear as he did so. That glance of determination felt to be more than enough for Praxis to make his raise from his seat and look straight on at the door, curious over what would happen once the other members of Scarlet Wolf are encountered.

And so, one by one they all left the room, ready to head out towards the evening sky and make their way back towards the dock once again. That left Axel all alone, making his way towards Blaze in the store room, but as soon as he got there he was welcomed with the delights of Bill and Ted playing music and ultimately singing together, though holding off-key vocals in the process.

"Know you're a Knuckleduster, aaaand you're caught in a relapse now..."

Axel covered his ears as tense as possible, trying to block off the sounds of their vocals. "Geez, you guys need a better vocalist these days. No wonder why this diner's going to Hell!"

"Are you sayin' you'd help us out dude?" Bill asked him.

Ted followed up with an enthusiastic cheer. "Yeah, that'd be excellent!"

Both of them gave off sloppy shreds upon their own guitars, causing the air to be filled with screeching feedback. That left Axel to quickly take a hold of Blaze's hand and pull her out of the Diner as fast as he could.

He took a look around the street that he was in, now starting to settle calmly within the late evening air. There, they both started to head north, up towards the White Dragonfly District's barrier.

They reached the checkpoint; expecting to have to tackle any problems there without any green emblems, the guards – both of which trying to stare upon Blaze's chest - somehow managed to let them through for an unexplainable reason. Nevertheless, it would only be a few more minutes before they would both make their way back to HQ.

* * *

As the night started to settle, so did many of the occupants of various businesses around the city. There were few lit windows established around the immediate area, as well as any form of traveller on the street. The few that were, however, made their journey to any local cafes they could find.

But there was no rest for the Senate, which at such a late hour they were all rushed straight into the audience room. Among the group, many of which felt worse for wear, with Lara and Samus in particular wearing half uniform and half partying clothes.

Near the large giant doors that lead to Ariel's quarters, there came the King of All Cosmos and his Queen, both making their way towards the side of the table furthest away from the main doors that the Senators arrived through.

"May we have your attention, please?" he addressed the rest of the Senate.

His shouting command caused everyone to suddenly sit silent. They looked upon one another, wanting to wonder what in particular caused their Prime Chancellor to summon them outside peak hours.

The King himself looked around the room, hoping to make a spot check on which Senate members are available. And once again, Senator Cortex was unable to make his presence known to the rest of the group.

With a sigh, he took a hold of the table edge with his white glove covered hands, and brought himself to his feet. Once again, his head barely touched the ceiling, though with the addition of dim light from the chandelier above shining gently on his cylinder-shaped head.

"Senator Peppy Hare is to address the senate with some fresh news. I don't know much about the situation myself but I hope it's good."

"Thank you, Chancellor", replied Peppy.

With a peaceful and grateful nod, Peppy stood up from his seat and looked upon the rest of the group. His height may end up paling in comparison to the King, but it was a sight that didn't seem to bother him one bit.

The King then decided to sit down and look on at Peppy as he made his walk towards his side of the table. The hare soon made his stop right next to the Queen, holding a scroll tightly in one of his hands.

"I've heard from my associates from deep in the city that Fletch has been able to locate Emperor Ariel. They're heading over to the John Moors District, and within a matter of minutes we'd see them leave together faster than an Arwing's departure."

He then sent the scroll across the table, passing the details down from Senate member to Senate member. It began with Murfy and Duckula claiming their grasp at the right wing of the table, looking at the contents carefully.

They looked down at the scroll together, and right there, they saw a map of the John Moors area, with a diagram pointing the location of Emperor Ariel. Several photos of Fletch carrying the Spear of Visions were also attached.

"That seemed like awesome news!" Murfy exclaimed with an enthusiastic tone. "I just hope everything goes to plan!"

"I bet it will", smiled Duckula. "There hasn't been a day that a dark cloud has been around since Ariel came to power."

"True", began Clank, "but you never know what could happen at the district. Besides, we have no reports on the location of the missing persons, so we can't be so safe yet."

Murfy and Duckula looked at each other. Clank may have some logic, but for them, it seemed like nothing. Happily, they passed the scroll onto Lara and Samus, whom both looked on at it together.

"I would have thought that the spear would have given him power to match that of the Goose's Heart gem", Lara started speaking on the sight of looking at Fletch's photo, "but why not? Is there something we're missing in the equation?"

"We can worry about that later", Samus replied. "For now, we're hours away from seeing order return. And there's no way that we'll face such a problem like this in the future as we'll put up strong defence mechanisms from here on out, providing we get the Emperor's permission."

"If that goes ahead, can I test it out for you?" Snake asked from the opposite wing of the table. "I've been a master of stealth for over a decade, and I should know my way around all this."

"Sure, we don't mind", Samus smiled while folding her arms. "Right, Lara?"

"I was thinking of self-testing it, but I suppose a third hand would be helpful."

Lara started to show a reluctant nod as she accepted Snake's offer. By then, she passed the scroll onto him so that he could be able to analyse it. As that happened, both the King and Queen looked upon one another, showing faces filled with anticipation.

"I just hope that this Fletch boy comes out from this one all in one piece", the Queen said to the King in a concerned voice.

"Quite so, our Queen. We will be most upset if something shocking comes our way."

With a brief nod, the King made his stand from his seat once more, this time being more careful not to try and get so close to the ceiling. As a result he had to bend his knees slightly before he could go any further.

Slowly yet surely, he made his walk towards the windows of the room. The view of the city in the evening was shown right in front of him, glistening gently like a light in the middle of a mystical valley.

"Fletch Davis, we believe in you!"

He placed one hand to his chest and the other to the window pane, and it was by that pose that he would know that there would be much progress to be made as Fletch's journey would come and seize.

His pose didn't last for long when his long red jacket got tugged. He looked behind him, and saw Senator Clank standing nearby, holding the scroll. It was assumed that everyone has managed to read the contents.

With a light smile, he took a hold of the scroll and made his walk straight back to the table. Once there, he looked straight back at the ceiling, the dim lighting settling gently upon his face. It was therefore known that Ariel's return to the Senatorial Housing won't be much further.

* * *

The waters around the John Moors district were seen rippling gently. The only light that managed to reflect from the surface was the moonlight, which was seen starting to expose itself among the dense silver clouds above.

The waters soon started to become choppier and choppier, and it didn't take too long for a distinctive direction to end up being formed. And that direction was towards the South East of the island itself.

There, the same boat that Fletch and company used to escape the island was coming back. With the exception of Praxis steering the boat and Spyro looking over the edge still donning the copter pack on his body but now having Coco's gem tied round his neck, the group were seen taking company underneath its mast.

"Spyro, this mission is all yours!" commanded Praxis. "We're counting on you to get it right!"

"I'm on it!"

Spyro took a look towards the island; the electric fence was seen to make it shine like a man-made pyramid in the dim lighting of the evening. Some of the light energy was cast towards the edge of the ship as well as his deep indigo eyes.

He took a deep breath, and made a long leap from the ship's edge. As soon as he reached the highest height in his jump, he unfolded his wings and proceeded to hover his way towards the fence.

Eventually, he was left to struggle as he came closer and closer towards the water. Before he could even touch it, he used both of his front paws to tug onto the cord of the copter pack. Almost immediately, it was activated and caused the dragon to be raised among the air, only just skimming among the water's surface.

The copter pack was seen starting to rise gently among the sky, giving off a noisy click-based sound to match one of a primitive moped. The sound itself was cast around Spyro's immediate surroundings, almost to the point that it could echo from the White Dragonfly District's port.

"This thing seems rickety", he spoke to himself with a half-shaken tone, "but I hope it gets the job done okay."

With a light sigh, he used his body to manipulate the travelling height of the copter pack. Upon leaning forward it would sink closer towards the water, and upon leaning back he would rise higher.

Back at the ship, the rest of the group soon made their way towards the edge, hoping to take a further glance towards the current situation. Fletch tried to view it with his remaining eye, yet not even that would help him look sharply beyond three times the length of the ship.

"Can anyone see what's going on?" Fletch asked his comrades.

Fox started to walk from his position near the mast. "Let me take a look."

Fox walked straight towards Fletch and stood directly next to him. He leant his head forward, taking a closer look towards the viewpoint, yet even in the darkness it didn't quite seem to be enough to see anything.

He looked towards the left, and saw a pair of binoculars being left alone. He picked them up and looked through them, only to take a close-up view of Spyro arriving at the island's edge. His eyes widened as he saw him proceed further.

"He's gone over the electric fences. It shouldn't be long before he comes towards the pedestal."

With a smile, Sora pointed his keyblade towards the island. "Praxis, steer us to the left a bit so that we can get a better view of the situation!"

Praxis did what he was told and took a tight grasp upon the wheel, steering the boat towards the left. The cool night winds caused the ship to advance gently among the water's surface, leaving the ripples to move around at a subtle pace.

Back with Spyro, he managed to ascend towards the exact same height of the electric fences he managed to cross over, and started exploring the island, looking around for one sole object – the pedestal to place the gem inside.

The floor itself looked more like a sea of electricity glowing gently upon his body. The tense lighting was shown to be even more dangerous than the side of the ship, causing his purple eyes to end up taking a mild shade of a golden yellow color.

"I can see the pedestal!" Spyro shouted as a white object was seen in the distance. "Let's see if the gem placement works!"

His look started to show further confidence as he started to fly his way straight towards the pedestal. His shadow took a distinctive shape upon the ground as he started to come closer and closer towards the elevated path.

Even he could be seen distinctively through Fox's binoculars, which at that point started to reflect more of the electric light through its lenses than just looking at the island head-on. He himself brought the binoculars down at one stage, trying to shield his eyes and stopping them from blinding.

In the meantime, Ratchet managed to pick up the binoculars. There, he saw that Spyro managed to get halfway up the hill where the pedestal managed to reside. He gave off a confident smile at the glance.

"Spyro's getting close! I have all fingers crossed that he'd pull through!"

Fletch looked on at the sight, smiling gently at the scene as he knew that triumph would prevail. At the same time, Fox ended up starting to regain his sight steadily, trying his best to let the flashes from the tense glance through the electric fence fail to get through to him.

Meanwhile, Spyro ended up reaching the top of the hill, and once there he looked around his immediate surroundings. The pedestal was seen standing alone right at the top, with an area to the West showing Fox's Arwing standing still near the water's edge.

"Almost there!" he exclaimed as he re-focused his attention to the platform.

With whatever amount of strength the copter pack had remaining, he hovered his way towards the pedestal. Once there, he took a hold onto it as if he was trying to climb a wall, all before being able to bring himself over the object from the chest up.

He used one of his paws to remove the gem from his neck, and placed it into the slot. His eyes were closed tightly as he slipped it inside, knowing that in spite of coming so far, something could still go wrong.

But… nothing wrong happened. He eventually opened his eyes, looked down, and saw that the gem itself fitted perfectly.

"It..." he paused, as if he was almost speechless. "It fits! I can't believe it fits!"

It didn't take long for the gem to glow a tense white color to match the pedestal's power. Several rays of energy were seen shining from the sky as well as causing a purifying effect among its immediate area.

"Look over there", Joanna shouted back at the ship. "The electric field is vanishing!"

True to her commentary to the rest of the team, the electric fences were seen fading away into nothing. As soon as the last of the energy was shown, the electrodes steadily made their descent straight back into the ground.

The floor soon followed, with the electric energy making its stopping. And after that, a mini-sandstorm was shot upon the ground, shooting sand dunes into the air for a few seconds before allowing them to sink straight into the ground.

"Excellent, we can actually walk on there now!" Darkwing cheered.

"And even better still, we didn't have to do a thing!" said Jade with a lightened voice tone. "We can just go inside easily now!"

Jade gave out a confident smile as she looked on at the others, each of which showing the same joyful expression that she was. With that, they all returned to the mast and looked straight ahead of them.

Praxis was, of course, the sole exception as the ship's driver. He took a hold of a nearby megaphone as he steered the ship, pointed it towards the island and started exclaiming down the speaker.

"Congratulations, Spyro! We're coming in your direction right now. Wait right there!"

"I'm glad I did a service to the city!" the dragon shouted back. "Thank you!"

Spyro looked ahead, and there, the ship was seen making its way steadily towards the island. Knowing how safe the island is to traverse once more, he placed his feet among the sand dunes and took a sigh of relief.

Back at the ship, it was seen steering its way towards the West wing of the island, exactly the same side where Fox dropped off the group in the City Tour Arwing beforehand. The group knew that they managed to come so far and might even go further.

The ship then disembarked among the sand dunes. As soon as that happened, everyone made their departure one by one. Fox, Sora, Darkwing, Spidey, Jade, Joanna and Ratchet felt capable to all leap from the ship, leaving the others to descend carefully by either hanging down the edges or – in Fletch's case - jump into Praxis's arms before landing.

Once onto the ground, they all paced among the sandy surface, making their way up the hill leading straight up towards the pedestal. The footprints they left behind were seen to be significantly deeper than they were when coming up the first time hours before.

It didn't take long for the group to end up meeting up with Spyro right at the top of the hill. Once there, they looked straight on at the building itself, which by then started to reveal a small hint of light exposure to the left.

"So, this must be the way inside the citadel", Fletch said with a hint of determination. "Are we ready to go in?"

Fletch turned towards the rest of the group around him. One by one, they nodded, and equally showed determined looks to come closer and be ready to see Ariel making his grand return to the city.

He raised his spear into the air just to be sure. And just like that, a white surge was seen glowing into the air, pointing its way straight towards the door. He gave out a very enthusiastic smile as he started to make his way towards the door.

He ended up sliding down the other side of the hill like a roller skater, performing a cartwheel as he reached the base and bringing his pacing into a run once more. Just as he was about to reach the door, however, a shadow crept over him.

"Not so fast!"

He quickly looked towards the voice's direction, being towards a pillar not too far from the door itself. He paid attention to the sight of a dark shadow near him. Eventually, the figure jumped straight down to the ground.

It showed itself to be another figure in the purple cloaks. It brought itself into a crouch position as it landed, sounding as if it made a drop to the ground with what sounded like a crunching sound. It looked straight up at the rest of the group with deep glowing yellow eyes through its hood.

"I never thought I'd see your mug show up around this rebellious party", the figure spoke with a high-pitched female voice. "What gives?"

"It's another member of the Scarlet Wolf team!" Darkwing exclaimed with fear. "We need to be careful!"

"But it's not just any member of the team", Praxis added. "Look!"

Praxis was observant enough to show a gesture towards the cloaked figure's hands. They were rounded and less threatening when used alone, just like his, except that those hands didn't have fingernails and were instead made to be completely made of metal.

The figure then pulled back its cloak. And it revealed itself as a female – a robot with the illusion of a female superstar upon its designs, from copper plates for hair extended to her shoulders, a perfect female adult anatomy and tones to fully reflect her beauty.

"Courtney Gears??" Ratchet identified her. "What are you doing here?"

Ratchet tried to run straight towards her, but before he could do anything, Spyro quickly took a hold of his tail via his teeth, causing the lombax to lose his footing and fall to the floor with a skid. All that Courtney could do was respond with a smirk while shaking her head.

"Tut, tut, tut. Baron Praxis, I never thought I'd see you get your leg humped by such an adorable little monkey", she spoke with a seductive tone while looking down at Fletch.

Praxis looked down to see Fletch hiding behind his cloak, his face turning red at the glance. "It's not what you think!" he shouted as he turned back to her. "Though they want to save the Emperor and we want to kill him, we share the same ideals. You try telling that to Axel as well!"

All that Courtney could do was smirk even more before extending that into insane laughter. It echoed around the area, leaving various team members to take a step back at her growing tough attitude.

She soon made her walk towards Praxis, one of the few that remained standing. Once she stood right in front of him, the tip of her head only just reaching his metal plated nose, she took a hold of his neck and forced him to crouch down.

"Haven't you forgotten the motto of the Scarlet Wolf team?" she interrogated him. "I thought you're fully aware of the reason why it's hard to locate the Emperor at a place like this."

"Why should we even trust you?" Fletch asked with a stubborn glance. "You could be a very deceitful witch, much like Dimitri."

She turned back towards the boy with a blank stare. "Listen; if I was really trying to deceive you I would just kill you all on the spot. But, considering how you all want to do your trash talk against me, you've left me with no other choice!"

With a growl showing from her mouth, she forced Praxis down to the floor with her own two hands, stood on top of him and brought out her hands. Inside them, she managed to reveal a pair of metallic edged boomerangs.

She jumped into the air and threw them straight into the air, causing them to make their way straight towards the group. They all ducked before anything could even happen, leaving them to scratch a set of boulders behind them.

"Take this!" she exclaimed with a snarl.

She cackled happily as the boulder made its fall from its position, trying to end up landing straight on top of the group with all of its might. Many of the group members managed to dodge, only to leave Darkwing to get one of his feet stuck.

While that happened, Joanna went towards the back of Courtney as she was seen running back towards her boomerangs, leaping into the air to catch them. As she made her jumps, she shot with her pistols, only to see them deflect against her.

"She seems pretty strong for a robot!" she sighed. "How should we deal with her?"

She jumped from the top of the rock and tried to get closer. But before she could attack further, Fox made his run amidst the group, took a hold of her hands and instantly pinned her towards the wall.

"Miss Spears, calm down!" addressed Fox. "We just came here to find someone, not kill anyone. Believe in us!"

"Another meddler?" she questioned the fox. "I thought we agreed that any meddlers that come within the plans of Scarlet Wolf would just vanish off the face of the Earth just like that."

She growled as she raised a knee, striking Fox upon the shin. That left him stunned for a short period of time, giving her time to escape from his grasp. While that happened, Darkwing freed himself by moving the foot's position amongst the sand, and hopped his way towards the rest of the team.

"There's no way we can counter her like this", sighed Darkwing. "All we can do is just try and find ways to fight her off. It's our only chance!"

Ratchet was left to show a tense facial expression. "I'd hate to admit it, but you're right."

All that they could do is keep looking at Courtney as she edged her way closer and closer towards the rest of the team. Her hands held onto her boomerangs as hard as possible, revealing her hands to show a tight gripping pattern underneath.

Ratchet further looked on at her, at every single last detail. Most of which were left to shine gently within the moonlight, but it wasn't that that managed to strike deep into his mind. With a smirk, he turned his back on her and the rest of the group.

"I have an idea. You guys must go on and weaken her whenever you can. I'll be back in a few minutes."

With a determined glance, Ratchet started climbing straight up the hill, trying his best to maintain his footing as he did so. There were two slips he faced when ascending, but he soon started to reach the pedestal at the top of the hill.

Praxis took notice, turned around and shouted at the top of his voice. "Ratchet, where are you going??"

Praxis's shouts weren't strong enough to reach Ratchet, whom by now was straight over the hill and presumably heading straight towards a southern area of the island. The footprints from the sand dunes were left to settle in the cool night winds.

All that the Baron could do now was sigh as he looked towards the group, his expression showing a surprised look on how Ratchet could depart from his own team for reasons unknown. He took a tight grasp upon his sword as he looked straight back at the top of the hill.

"What a delusional trick", he growled as he looked on at the scene.

"We don't have time to argue about this", Fletch spoke as he took a hold of the Baron's hand. "We have to fight her, right now!"

Fletch showed a leer upon his face as he looked straight back at Courtney. It was there that he decided to make his move. He made a charge straight towards the clearing, leapt on top of Spyro and leant back, causing him to stand up on his hind legs.

"Charrrge!" he cheered as he held on with one hand and briefly removed his hat with the other.

With a confused expression, the dragon was left to charge straight forward towards the female robot. She however took a step back, withdrawing the boomerangs from her hands back inside her body.

As that happened, Fletch left his spear to charge as he came closer. At the same time, Spyro's fire breath started to charge. That continued until they were merely 20 metres away from their target.

And then, both of them sent out their attacks together – a stream of white light energy and a chaotic inferno were left to twirl around each other like a hair plat being formed. However, Courtney's expression didn't look too convinced.

"Eat dust!"

She brought out her hands, and deflected the energy, sending it into the sky and causing a copper-silver firework straight up into the night sky. The glow of it left Spyro to stop in his tracks, causing Fletch to fly off and roll onto the floor.

"Let me try swooping in!" shouted a nearby voice.

"Sora!"

After regaining his senses, Fletch looked behind him and saw Sora making his way towards the robot, with Spyro and Darkwing trying to stop him from coming too close. But by the time they were about to take a hold of him, he already made several strikes with his keyblade.

She deflected his attacks with her arms, using them as swords locked straight into her arms. The two were left to keep striking upon one another, trying their best to inflict heavy sets of damage with each passing strike.

Sora came significantly closer with his strikes upon her chest, trying his best to scratch away every last thread that was upon her cloak. But even after several powerful damage-weary strikes upon her, nothing showed up.

"What kind of armor are you wearing?" he questioned her.

"Haven't you realised? It's natural skin. Don't you appreciate the beauty of it?"

She leered towards her with one of her seductive looks once again, leaving him to start quivering and taking a step back. He used his own keyblade to start blocking her attacks, trying to think of his next move.

"Let me tussle in from behind", Darkwing chanted from nearby.

Sora raised his hands into the air. "Darkwing, no!"

Before Sora could react, Darkwing already made his charge straight towards her. He struck his head against her back; that caused them both to skid their way towards one of the walls of the citadel.

Just as when Darkwing was about to launch another attack onto her, Courtney reacted by bringing out both of her hands, charging with what looked like a purple plasma bolt between her hands.

"Darkwing!!" Sora shouted with a cautionary tone.

Sora tried to make a run towards him, but before he could reach out for him and before Darkwing could cause any more damage, she instantly sent out the force of energy straight on towards the duck.

It struck him on the tail, causing him to hover into the air with a burning tail. He landed on the floor with his body completely singed and his legs slightly crippled. He raised a hand and brought out a simple white flag.

"Okay, now I'm next Christmas dinner", he spoke weakly. "Sorry guys, I have to sit this one out."

"Not on my watch!"

As quick as a cheetah, Joanna managed to leap straight up onto one of the flatter rock pedestals upon the area, jumped up towards another and kept doing so until she managed to reach the columns that stood near the door.

Cautiously, she took a hold onto the one that was nearest to her, climbed up to the arch, and side-stepped her way towards the other pillar. Once there, she jumped to a smaller rock, quickly brought out a rocket launcher and aimed it straight at her.

"Eat lead!

She fired the missiles straight towards Courtney, whom by then was brought in combat with Jade. However, once the latter saw the missile coming, she quickly stunt-rolled out of the way before the robot could even notice.

A thick gray cloud surrounded the group as the missile landed. Joanna looked on from her position, hoping that she was somehow able to inflict damage upon her. But as the smoke cleared, she saw that she remained in a standing position, looking completely unharmed.

"That didn't work?" she gasped with a voice building retaliation.

"She's too fast!" Jade yelled from below. "There's no way we can damage her!'

Joanna looked towards her rocket launcher with hesitance, curious over how she could even struggle to cause a dent upon a robot. But with no time to lose, she still had to react; she climbed down the stone pillars and made her way back down to ground level.

As that happened, Jade was re-engaged in combat with Courtney. Just like with Sora, she tried to attack albeit with her Dai-Jo, and Courtney managed to respond by using her own hands to block the attacks.

"Take that!"

She brought out her boomerangs once more, and hurled them straight towards Jade, whom ducked at the chance. That left them to end up stroking more rock faces, causing more boulders to fall down. By then, a fair chunk ended up going around the circumference of the hill, blocking the group from going up its Eastern side.

As that happened, Fox and Spidey took a refuge in a nearby hiding, looking on at her fast attacking speed from their angle. The former's fur was seen to blow in the wind during that time, his eyebrows showing a tenser feel than the usual.

"If we need to weaken her", began the fox, "the best way we can do this is hold her down and attack from different angles. Spidey, can you do that?"

Spidey showed a determined glance as he said that. "I'll see what I can do!"

A keen stance was shown upon his crouching position, and with that established, Spider-Man made his way straight towards the opening once more. Out there, he climbed his way up the same rock faces that Joanna climbed before.

Once right at the top of one of the lower ones, he came closer towards Courtney, whom by then was performing flips across the ground to try and attack Jade from one side of the clearing. With no time to lose, he launched his web, striking her upon the head.

"Ewww!" she reacted with a guttural instinct. "What are you doing?"

The web stream caused her to slow down, leaving the substance to end up going straight inside her metal plated hair. She tried to pull it off, but before that could happen, she was left to have her feet trapped in the substance.

She tried to get them both out of the mess, but no matter what, she seemed to be stuck. It eventually consumed her hands, leaving her to be locked into an all-fours position as she struggled to break free.

"What kind of grime is this?" she questioned herself."

"Launch fire!"

Praxis's command caused the rest of the team to surround her. As soon as they did so, he raised his sword straight into the air, leaving them all to start attacking her with whatever forces they could – ammunition from Joanna and Fox; magic blasts from Fletch, Sora and Jade; fire breath from Spyro; and boulder throwing for Darkwing and Praxis.

The power was starting to feel strained upon Courtney's body, though she still looked as if she was still able to withstand the damage no matter what. In spite of the heavy damage, she was left to keep pulling herself out through her own struggles.

However, a full 30 seconds managed to pass, and as a result from the assault, her hair started to show a darker tinge than the norm. She started to scream and started to shake upon her arms and legs.

"Your best efforts still can't weaken me physically! There's no way you'll take me down just like that!"

And so, she suddenly spread her arms out wide, and as soon as that happened, several bits of web were seen thrown all over the floor. She showed a snicker as she showed the cause for freeing her arms – the boomerangs that she kept with her.

Using the same strategy, she used them to mow out her legs. Though it resulted in her having what looked like a "bad hair day" and several amounts of web stream covered across her body, she still looked serious.

"Maybe she's right", Fletch began to flinch. "We can't fight like this!"

She took several approaches towards the group, stepping towards them as if she started to materialise into something from a zombie-related movie. The eerie glow upon her face left Fletch to turn away in fear… only to see something coming in front of him.

"Duck!" he screamed.

He instantly ducked to the ground, leaving the rest of the group to look behind them. And right there in front of them, there came a jet of water being launched straight towards them. Those that were in its path quickly ducked out of the way.

And there, it struck her straight onto the chest, pushing her to the walls and drenching her cloak in its entirety. The water force didn't even stop by the time she reached the wall – it continued to cause pain upon her.

"Yeeeargh!" she screeched like a witch. "What the heck are you doing?"

"How do you like my hydrodisplacer?"

The group looked behind them, and standing right there was Ratchet holding what looked like a large water gun. Water was shot out at an alarming rate, continuing to pressurise Courtney down to the wall.

Eventually, the water force managed to stop, causing her to start regaining her senses as she looked on ahead. But not even that was enough to maintain a good standing position. The after-attack started to cause her to lose her positioning, bringing her to her arms and legs.

"Owwww... my circuits..."

She started to show a weaker stance as she tried to maintain any form of navigation position. But not even that felt like enough; her limbs then gave in, causing her to collapse on the floor, stomach first.

The group looked towards Ratchet, curious over how much water he managed to place over her. As that happened, Spidey made his way towards her and brought her onto her back; once done, she ended up coughing up water from her new position. The rest of the group steadily made their way over there, namely lead by Fox.

"What..." She tried to gather the strength to speak. "What have you been doing to me?"

"There is no time to explain", Fox began. "Fletch is here to locate the Emperor and restore the city order."

"You do realise that restoring order is what the Scarlet Wolf team is set to do too?"

Fox looked on towards the group, looking slightly confused. How could the team that attacked Fletch at the start want to restore order by taking care of the one kid that would do it? That was a thought that would remain upon the heads for Fletch and Praxis for the time being.

"We might", Fox hesitantly turned back with a confused wink, "but do you think it would work better if we work together rather than solo?"

Still maintaining a slightly confused expression, Fox crouched down towards Courtney and took a hold of her hand. Even though she felt weak, she still felt as if she wanted to attack Fox from such a vulnerable position.

Yet, the water was still taking the worse of her. She continued to look straight up towards Fox, her expression changing from a sadistic one to one that shows a combined look of fear and truce towards her.

"I suppose you're right", she whispered.

She tried her best to lift up one of her arms, but as soon as she could only get it up to about an inch of the ground, she would continue to raise it any higher. With a blink, Fox crouched down and took a hold onto it.

"I'll see if I can reside with you for now until I get my strength up", decided Courtney. "Then, I'll choose whether to fight for you or for the team again. It means that I'm still indecisive over who to fight for."

"Courtney", Praxis started speaking in a gentle tone nearby, "I'll be there for every step of the way."

Fox looked behind him and saw Praxis making his way towards her. His steady steps were shown to generate shallow footprints among the ground, generating some light haze among the cool night winds.

Once at Courtney, he took a hold of the hand that Fox once held onto and looked into her eyes, his one remaining eye showing a glimmer of hope and his facial expression in general showing that there is still the possibility of working together.

"You really mean it?" she asked with a dry whisper.

The Baron gave out a gentle nod from him, leaving him to take a hold onto Courtney's chin with the other hand; she gave off a light smile from her position, knowing that she was going to be in safe hands.

Yet, peace by peace, she started to drift straight out of consciousness. First her mouth relaxed into a more straight posture revealing teeth plates, her limbs and body went limp and her eyes steadily closed.

With a face filled with concern, he took a hold onto her body. There was something about it that still felt moist and damp; it seemed that by the way she fought, she was obviously requiring of a way to recovery.

"There's no time to waste", Fletch spoke as he looked at Fox, his hands shaking. "We will go in there, to grab the Emperor and escape all in one piece."

"That's the spirit! The entire City is counting on you guys to do justice to us."

With a casual glare, Fox went inside his pockets and pulled out a photograph. He instantly showed it towards Fletch, whom took a hold of one side of the object and observed the setting really carefully.

That was an image of the Senate posing with a human, donning a mixture of reds, oranges and yellows among his long-sleeved clothing, covered with a black coat and a lime green collar, and a blue hat with a black and white striped feather on the top. His appearances were topped off with brown hair and eyes, the former brought into a small ponytail at the back. The banners in the photo, labelled "Happy Coronation Day", made it obvious on who the figure was – Emperor Ariel.

Fletch, now known that he felt firmly informed about the figure he was tracing down, looked up at Fox and gave him a wide yet truthful smile. A few seconds later, he took a hole on the photograph in its entirety and placed it in a small side-pocket in his rucksack.

"Thank you, Fox."

Fletch gave out a salute towards Fox and took a tight grasp onto his spear as he looked straight back towards the door. He went straight towards it and towards the front door. By then, the main door itself completely vanished.

All that remained was a set of iron bars forming a secondary door. He used his spear to act as a lock pick, and as soon as click was heard, he pushed it open, revealing a darkened path right ahead of him.

"Together now!"

Smiling more broadly than before, Fletch brought his hand into the air and made his way straight through to the interior of the building. He instantly raised his spear, and sent forth a white glow of light at the end to use as a torch.

The rest of the group quickly followed, making their way inside the darkness as well. By then, as soon as they got inside, the light of the night sky started to change to a significantly more sinister process.

During that time, the doors were about to seal shut all by themselves. In the amount of time that happened, Fox, Spyro and Praxis remained outside, looking over the scene for themselves. As soon as the door was slammed shut, an echo went straight around their immediate area.

"Would you just look at that kid go", Fox reflected with a happy tone.

Spyro's facial expression retained the same feelings as his comrade's. "I never thought I'd see him this happy over such a life-changing event like the return of power to the city."

"I can relate", continued Fox as he took a couple of steps forward, his eyes focusing on the citadel. "Emperor Ariel saved us from a time of poverty. He created order with the Senate, and he was also able to make it a much wealthier place when he was able to locate jobs for many characters that have been killed off or have retired from show business. Much like you, right Praxis?"

Fox folded his arms and looked straight on towards the Baron, whose expression by that point was starting to look less dignified yet paler in color, especially under the intense moonlight shining down.

He looked on at both Fox and Spyro, his fingers starting to twitch at the sound of Ariel's name. His faced showed a reluctant look, but he still took the time to stand up front and make his response.

"I may agree on that", he said with a shaky tone, "but Courtney did refer to the forgotten motto of Scarlet Wolf – the reason why we fight for the city for entirely different reasons to your team, Fox."

"So you're saying that you guys didn't intend to disrupt the city while you were trying to stop Fletch from reaching his goal?" Spyro further quizzed the Baron. "No offence, but this is confusing."

"I'll explain it to you both when we return to your HQ. For now, I'll take Courtney on the boat. You guys can re-claim your Arwing."

Having proclaimed that, Praxis went straight towards Courtney's unconscious body, lifted her up into the air and carried her with his arms, leaving her legs to dangle to one side of him and her body to rest upon one of his shoulders.

As he walked with her up the hill and back towards the ship, Fox and Spyro made their departure towards the West of the clearing. They too went around the pedestal, but it didn't take them too long to see a white and blue object in the distance.

"Let's just hope this thing still works", Fox said with a determined smile. "Are you ready?"

Fox turned to Spyro, whom reacted with an enthusiastic nod. Together, they both made their approach towards the Arwing, ready to climb inside and make their way back to Blaze's Tailors once more.

Right after they settled inside, the engines for the ship started to initialise, causing the boosters on the back to cause the machine to move forward. The nose soon lifted itself into the sky, causing the ship to be lifted up.

It then flew its way through a single lap around the citadel, going across the viewpoints of the John Moors Island District for one last time. As soon as that was done, it made its way towards the water, zooming straight past Praxis's ship as it went past it.

As the evening was left to settle in more, the group would know that Fletch was about to face a great challenge as the time goes on. With Ariel by his side, almost anything can be possible to accomplish.

As far as Fox and his team are concerned, the way that Fletch could tackle the situation inside would mean the difference between a lost hope and the beginning of the end of the mess that they were brought in. All that remained as an influence was time itself.

_-end of chapter-_


	10. Cortex's Last Stand

AUTHOR NOTES

Wow, I am just disappointed with the lack of response on that last chapter. What a bummer.

Still, that's acted as a further catalyst for a light break in the fic for anyone that started reading this to go catch up. It's going to be initialised right after this chapter. I placed it here for a good reason, and you'll find out more when you read it. It won't be long until Fletch FINALLY meets up with Emperor Ariel. In Homestar Runner terminology, will it be a case of Ariel Get or Your James Over?

Still, there won't be a complete break from the Theoropolis backdrop. Next week, I hope to put up an intermission comic on my Deviantart archive nonetheless - the colors for that are almost done. Then after that, it's back to your regular reading schedule.

Either way, thank you very much if you even read this. All comments on this are very much appreciated.

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_Days turned to weeks, and then weeks turned to months. In the amount of time that passed, Han and I became close friends, moving our way up the school ranks together and ensuring that we would both follow the same route in life no matter what curveballs it threw at us._

_Even by the time we both started to go to middle school and Akumi started making her way to high school, we still maintained many of our traits from the past 2-4 years. And that meant being able to show a light-hearted glance towards such threats, like the menacing elder kids._

_On one instance, Han even convinced me to raid an eighth grader's locker. It was left to be unlocked upon first approach, and it didn't take too long until he came out with something. Reluctantly, I ended up doing the same to another locker and coming out with a similar result._

"_Hey, that was fun!" Han chuckled to me as we made our way back outside. "I thought we'd never get to stalk the jocks and run off with their sandwiches like that!"_

_I looked down at the sandwich with a blank look, the bag itself being covered in a thin plastic bag. "I somehow think that it might have been the wrong thing to do, but what can I say?"_

"_Yeah, you said they liked pinching yours. I can't blame you for that."_

_I sighed as I looked at the bag. It was true that no matter what happened, my feeble appearance – most notably on my missing eye – still made me a target for bullying after all these years of defense and having Han as a guardian._

_But that didn't concern me. No matter what happened, I came through the building with lunch in my hands. I suppose it wouldn't hurt the jocks too much – an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, I should say._

"_Bon appetit!" Han cheered on._

_We gave each other a high-five and opened our lunch bags, anticipating what will be inside. I opened mine and found an interesting arrangement of bacon, tomatoes and gherkins on mine. Somehow, they might have mixed up the sandwich concept with one of burgers._

_With a sigh, I removed the gherkins from the sandwich and started to eat it, but when I was only reaching my second bite, I looked back at Han. He was looking at his sandwich filling, his face looking more solemn than the usual._

"…_Han?"_

_Cautiously, I placed my sandwich back inside the plastic bag, placed it upon the wall I was sitting on and shuffled closer towards Han. As soon as I did, I took a look at his facial expression. He seemed to be hard focused upon his own sandwich filling._

_Personally, I couldn't understand how a cheese filling would make him feel anguished like that. But before I could think any more, he placed the sandwich on the wall and looked on at me with his glowing green eyes._

"_Hm?" he murmured, wondering what was up._

"_You look a little bit concerned. Is there something on your mind?"_

_Han tried to speak again, but before he can even do that, he sighed again as he looked back at his own sandwich. His hands starting to twitch, he reached out and took a hold of the bag before turning back to me._

_He showed me his sandwich. But I still couldn't see anything special about it – all I can see were varying arrangements of cheddar, Danish blue and smoked cheese. I couldn't see many specialties about it._

"_Looking down at this artistic arrangement of three types of cheese has told me how much I would have loved to know my father."_

_I couldn't help but blink at what he just said. "Huh?"_

_I tried to look harder. But in the arrangement, I actually noted something. The Danish blue was arranged so that it fitted the shape of a man's head, and the smoked cheese faced an arrangement of dots and a strip that represented a smoking pipe._

_I don't understand how a vision of an old-fashioned gentleman could resemble an appearance of any kind of male that you wished to have known, but still curious over how Han didn't have a father consistently staying with him, I turned to him, waiting to hear more._

"_I was left to be raised alone by my mother", he said with a more upsetting voice tone. "It's always been the pair of us alone in a shanty house."_

_I still looked confused, looking on at Han's clothes – the same pattern that I usually came to see from him, from the orange/black triangle shirt down to the purple waistcoat. "If that's the case, how were you able to afford such nice things, like that trench coat you're wearing?"_

"_I don't know. My mother did tell me that my father was a great painter in his time, but I haven't seen too much of his stuff to be sure."_

_I still took great involvement in the listening. I try to wonder about how a wonderful person to a beautiful wife could be to paint a bunch of pretty pictures, but didn't even stick around to see his child get born._

_I showed a more solemn look as I came to approach him closer and closer. But before I could even do that, he just stood up from his position on the wall, looking straight on at the cloudy sky above us._

"_Still, even though my mother is a very nice and sensitive being, she has been frail for a very long time."_

"_Frail?" I asked him with a raised eyebrow._

"_As of now, she's only just reached her 50s. Though she's a great chef and cleaner, I've had to learn so many things from her to fend for both of us, ready for when her day of judgment would finally arrive."_

_Han's face started to look even more unsettling as I came closer and closer towards him. Once that happened, he turned to me with a wide-eyed look and his glowing green eyes again. That alone left me to think of his current situation._

_To think, the most optimistic kid I might have ever known and served as a great help through the end of elementary school had family problems. Firstly he never saw his father and now his mother gave birth to him at a late age in life? To me, that felt hard. I was about to respond to him, but he placed his hand on my shoulder before I could even do that._

"_I know you may think it sounds like a very tough existence", he started assuring me, "but this is something that I'm coming to enjoy more and more so as the days roll on."_

"_I'd probably feel the same if I was in that boat."_

_That was something that I felt. In spite of facing one of the toughest family setups in history, he seems to be happy that he's still alive and bracing the days for what they are. It made me feel lucky that my time living under a roof with Mom and Akumi seemed to feel more like an extra._

_But still, he helped me through my toughest times with my eye injury. Having seen that he had a rough past that could get the better of him, I knew I had a duty of my own, at least to repay the favor._

"_No matter what, I'll back you all the way. I'm pretty sure that with what you're doing, we'll never fall apart from whatever life would throw at us."_

_Almost out of instinct, I removed his furry hat from his head and brought my hand upon his blonde hair, still as short-cut as ever. The rub left him to chuckle slightly and look onto me with a small smile showing upon his face._

"_Thanks… Fletch."_

_I smiled back, knowing that we were bound to remain friends through thick and thin, whether it is through physical weaknesses or hidden weaknesses. Quickly I placed back the hat and re-arranged it so that it would fit onto his head better._

_We both looked onto the midday sky once more. A beautiful glare of gold was starting to show among the clouds – the sunlight poking its way through, and shining down among the playground as if it was a peaceful spotlight._

_I knew from that moment that my time with Han as a friend could end up being a little more demanding, but no matter what, it gave me a further instinct to understand why I should remain as a friend to a guy who helped me through thick and thin – to help in return._

* * *

Day 4 

_John Moors Citadel, 8:35PM local time_

The citadel's interior looked dark and gritty, with gray walls covering the openings. There were a few torches lined up among the walls, but they all looked so dimly lit that they were unable to cast light for further than six inches each.

That atmosphere didn't distract Fletch though, as he led the group raising the spear above his head, casting a more potent light than five of those torches put together. It grew that intense he even used one of his hands to shield over his good eye as he walked.

He turned around a corner and saw another corridor pointing ahead. Yet before he could walk, he faced several vibrations upon the spear. He started to gasp as he felt the power quivering all around it.

"The spear is shaking more violently now!" he then gasped. "Emperor Ariel must be really close!"

"I can't believe the time is fast approaching", Sora replied. "It won't be long until this city is back in shape once more."

Sora showed an optimistic facial expression as he made his way around the corner. He looked straight on at the corridor ahead, and took a few steps forward, ready to appreciate what would be at the end of the road.

The rest of the group made their emergence around him, also looking on at the darkened end of the corridor. Yet in spite of their coming success, Jade's facial expression showed a more concerned approach than those for her comrades.

"But…" She paused. "There is one thing that still is of concern to me."

"What is it now?" asked Spider-Man.

"What separated us from the Emperor, aside from the water, were a pedestal and an electric defense system. Do you suppose something could be suspicious?"

"Maybe he was just being overprotective."

"He's right", Darkwing joined in the conversation as he placed an arm around Spidey's torso in a friendly fashion. "I was feeding off out-of-date grub before Ariel suddenly showed up. As calm as he was, he decided to step in, give new jobs for us retired persona, and establish a democracy to look over the city. I am really grateful for him for that."

Darkwing gave out a cheery smile as he took a further step forward, slamming his webbed feet straight down onto the floor as he did so. They echoed with a watery delay around him, in spite of the ground being as dry as brimstone.

Fletch looked closer and closer towards the duck, before he too ended up turning towards the boy, sharing his facial expression with him. That left him to show a reflective look, thinking back on the trials that hey faced to get to the citadel in the first place. And then, he came to a conclusion.

"So that's why you want him back so much", he pondered aloud. "he's very protective of the city."

He gave out a light smile as he thought about the response. Maybe he took hiding here to reflect on the city's current circumstances, under tough security to boot, he thought to himself. Though he may be the one they needed to help them, they may need to help him in return. That look alone gave him a curious glance.

"Man, the more I think of it now, the more I would love to meet him in person. Hopefully he can also help me track down Han and Akumi too."

"I'm sure he will", answered Ratchet as he walked towards the boy's right-hand side. "Hopefully everyone should be in good enough spirits to keep going the way we are."

"You have it spot on", Joanna followed up. "With a wise figure like Ariel making his way back to the open, the city will soon restore its former glory once more."

Joanna showed a positive look as she made her way straight through towards the door. As that happened, Fletch's face started to look more optimistic; he knew that not only he was getting closer and closer towards the city's restoration but also to Han and Akumi.

It didn't take them too long to make their way towards the end of the corridor, where they were greeted by a large cobalt steel door. Even Fletch's spear didn't show enough power to illuminate it in its entirety.

"This is the door! He surely must be in there now. Hands crossed everyone!"

The group nodded together as the held onto each other's hands, looking straight on at the door. Just like the route to the Goose's Heart, it was covered in ornate markings, though the only difference between the two was the obvious color scheme.

Fletch looked closer between the two knobs, and saw a spade-shaped hole. With a confident look, he pointed his spear forward, causing the tip of the weapon to light up with a powerful platinum white energy.

"For Theoropolis!" he cried out loud.

He then pointed the spear straight towards the hole, and once that happened, it managed to cast a light straight inside the hole. A picking sound was heard, and as soon as that happened, the padlock fell to the ground.

Slowly but steadily, the door started to open, lighting up the area with a much more intense set of white light upon the group, Fletch lifted up one hand to protect himself from the glowing energy, trying to shield his eye from blindness.

Maintaining that position, he walked into the light, with the rest of the group to follow. It can be seen that through the light at the end of the tunnel, it won't be too long until they would stand foot-to-foot with Emperor Ariel.

* * *

The light-filled room was actually an area deeper inside the Imaginarium. Bright and colorful chandeliers rested upon the ceiling, with a checkered stone floor gracing the ground and finely textured golden walls coming around them. 

Yet in spite of that, the room was completely empty, cold and felt as if it lacked civilization for what sounded like months, or even years. In spite of this, Fletch managed to maintain a confident expression upon him.

He took a step forward, his shadow on the floor shrinking thanks to the amount of light intensity that managed to cover the room. A few steps later he looked at his spear, which by then was glowing significantly more intense, as if it was trying to compete with the chandeliers.

"Where are you Ariel?" Fletch made his shout. "We know you're in here. We really need your help!"

"Oh really?" cackled a distant voice. "Why do you think that's so?"

The voice managed to attract his attention. Quickly as he could, he looked around the room, trying to look around for the voice's source. The empty walls made it impossible to try and detect anything.

He made his walk straight into the middle of the room, where the cold wind currents caused his hair and clothes to flap gently. Joanna soon followed him, looking around in the process, also trying to detect the mystery figure.

"What manner of a voice is that?" she asked the boy. "Is that Ariel?"

"No, it sounds… more familiar."

His teeth gritted together and he held onto his spear even more. He pointed it on towards a random wall ahead, which ended up having flapping wallpaper in the wind. A foot was seen sticking out from it.

The wallpaper itself was torn down, revealing a passage into the room. And from inside, there came a familiar figure in a blue suit, with the black springy hair, large head and distinguishable N mark on his head. Fletch recognized him in an instant.

"Senator Cortex!"

"You caught on quick", said Cortex in a devious tone. "I question your meaning on searching for the Emperor in the purpose of bettering the city."

With a sly scowl upon his face, Cortex made his walk towards Fletch and Joanna, his expression looking more increasingly sinister over time. He soon brought out a small laser from his pockets, intending to use it upon reaching them.

"What you don't realize is that no matter what you face from your travels, your journey will cease right here", he informed with a toothy smile.

Sora took a step forward from the opposite end of the room. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Fletch looked behind him and saw Sora making his way towards him, with his keyblade withdrawn and being held within his hands. He made a stop to the opposite side that Joanna stood.

As that happened, all three of them looked on at Cortex, whom by then managed to come to a stop 20 feet away from the group, twirling his laser gun around like a cowboy in a spaghetti western movie.

"You'll find out sooner or later", he replied. "We will duel to see how far your destiny will take you. Either you will be slain by my hands, or you will fall by the devil spawn residing in this tower."

The mention of "devil spawn" somehow left Fletch to blink. He looked around the room – it looked really peaceful considering it was on an isolated stretch of land far from the population of the city itself.

He also thought back to the journey from outside. Aside from the encounter of shadows that they faced when saving Axel and Praxis, they didn't face anything around the island. With a hesitant look, Fletch turned straight back to the Senator.

"But I don't see any devil spawn!"

"Yeah!" Darkwing exclaimed from further behind him. "If this is a cryptic puzzle, I'd rather work this one out later. For now, we attack by fists!"

Fletch gave out a loud gasp. "Darkwing, no!"

Fletch tried to respond by stepping forward, but before anything could be done, Darkwing immediately pushed the boy with his hands and charged towards the scientist, head first. All that Cortex could do was smirk at the duck's decisions.

"You've just faced an early demise, _fowl_ being!"

Cortex maintained his sinister expression as Darkwing came closer and closer. But before anything could be done from the duck's point of view, the Senator aimed his laser gun straight to the ground.

As soon as Darkwing ended up being 10 feet away, he fired the laser, only to see it strike upon the ground with a strong plasma blast. Darkwing's foot was caught in it, leaving him to scream as soon as he stepped in range of the laser shot.

"Yeeargh!" he suddenly panicked. "What kind of laser energy is this?"

"Darkwing, get back here!" commanded Sora.

Sora's plead didn't affect Darkwing, as he ended up hopping around the room with his foot having smoke emerge from it. It didn't take too long until he managed to focus a straight direction – the torn hole in which Cortex came from.

"Whoa, help!" the duck began to flinch.

Without any second thought, Darkwing ended up tripping up over his other foot, bringing his hands straight out to roll onto the ground and fall straight into the darkness of the hole. A smash was heard from inside.

Cortex gave off a loud cackle from inside his mouth, which echoed all around the room in spite of the wallpaper and chandelier placements. The sound left Sora to raise his keyblade into the air and make his charge.

"Let's go!"

Cortex looked on at Sora making his charge; looking shocked over how he could try and deflect power from a large steel weapon, he ended up taking several steps back while shaking his own hands.

"Let's see how you like it when facing someone your own size!" the key bearer exclaimed.

Sora continued to run, and it didn't take long until he was ready to swing the keyblade straight down towards the Senator. But before anything could be done, he brought out an orange cube from one of his pockets.

In the space of two seconds, it opened up to reveal itself to be a red hover-board. He quickly jumped onto it and made his hover straight towards the sky, only just escaping Sora's swing of his keyblade by the skin of the teeth.

The key bearer reacted with an annoyed sigh as he looked up at Cortex, whom by then made his hover up towards the ceiling and performed a loop around the circumference of the chandelier. His shadow was easily seen upon the ground.

"What a coward, deciding to fly up there purely out of lack of instinct", sighed Joanna from another corner of the room.

"I'll shoot him down!"

From nearby, Ratchet managed to step right in front of Joanna, pointing what looked like a rocket launcher type weapon towards the ceiling. She looked on at the lombax while shaking her head while maintaining a leer on her eyes.

"Ratchet, no, you'll just miss him with a gun like that!

It was too late. Ratchet fired his weapon straight up towards the ceiling. Out from there came a missile, shooting itself with a trail of gray smoke that would almost attempt to cover the floor if strong enough.

It managed to reach Cortex, but having noted it as it was halfway through its ascent, he took a hold of the front of his hover board with his hands and barrel rolled out of the way, causing the missile to miss and strike the chandelier instead.

With a face filled with determination, Cortex managed to hover his way back towards the ground, still holding onto the board with his hands as well as standing upon it. By the time he reached the ground, he released the hand grip and stood upright.

He made his way around one area of the room, continuing to point his gun forward. It didn't take long for him to make his way towards the middle of the room, pointing his gun straight onto Fletch, whom reacted by bringing up his spear for defense.

A boom was heard, causing Cortex to look straight up into the air. The sound itself actually came from the chain of the smashed chandelier, which by then was starting to swing in the air on one of its chains.

Looking on at the structure, it looked as if it could fall anywhere. But before he thought even more, the other chain snapped, causing the glass structure to fall straight towards the ground, leaving Cortex to flinch and make his way to a wall.

The chandelier itself made a bang towards the floor, landing mere inches away from Cortex's feet and sending glass shards straight across the floor. Cortex managed to defend himself by using his arms to cover his eyes, though at the cost of having some of the glass shards cut through his jacket.

"Get me out of this mess!" he whimpered weakly.

"Not so fast, aren't you now?"

Spidey made his way from behind the chandelier and pointed his arm straight at Cortex, whom at the time was seen flinching while trying to pull out some of the larger shards from his arms, wincing as he did so.

With no time to lose to take out some of the others, he jumped back onto the hover-board, made his way over the chandelier and continued to fly. That caused Spidey to turn towards the Senator and point his arms at him.

"Stick to the ground, NOW!"

Another web stream was shot from his hands, shooting its way straight towards the scientist. He was then caught around the stomach, leaving him to try and hold onto the hover-board, trying to escape from a fall.

Spidey reacted by pulling back on the web stream itself, towing the Senator straight towards the floor. That soon left him to give up as he forced himself to place the hover-board away and fall to the floor.

"I hope we've got him paralyzed now", Spidey spoke while he locked his hands together.

"I hope so"', nodded Fletch with agreement, "The sooner he falls under, the sooner we'll keep looking for the Emperor."

The group then looked at Cortex's fallen spot. He still seemed to be fine, but by then he was lying on his back, covered in webs and struggling to break free. But eventually, the snarl turned to a smirk.

"You guys don't stand a chance against me now."

Fletch looked at him with a blank look. "Huh?"

No sooner than he managed to say that, the webs suddenly broke themselves open, and from right there it was seen that he used his hover-board to make his way straight back towards the ceiling again.

Once at the top, he pointed his laser gun towards the ground, shooting down towards the group below. Some of them merely dodged the shots. Some of them, namely Fletch, Jade and Sora, took the time to deflect the shots back towards the Senator.

As the deflected shots came to him, he too managed to dodge out of the way by a series of barrel rolls and somersaults. Eventually he charged his way straight down towards the team, his hair flapping in the wind as he did so.

"What the heck is he doing now?" Ratchet pondered out loud.

"Outta my way!"

Nearby, Joanna came near Ratchet and brought out her pistols, pointed them straight into the air and shot them, trying her best to strike the Senator as sharply as she possibly can. The sound of the fire was heard in the air along with emptied bullets falling to the ground.

Up ahead, Cortex continued to retaliate by performing various barrel rolls and somersaults to either dodge the attacks or deflect them with his hover-board. He showed a confident expression as he continued with that.

Joanna kept shooting, trying to keep up with his flips while that happened. But it didn't take too long until after several rounds of bullet power, she had to give up and place them back into her gun pockets.

"He's too fast!" Joanna flinched with a wide-eyed look.

"Not as long as I am here", Jade responded by stepping close to Joanna while turning to her left. "Spidey, shoot me up there!"

Spidey managed to follow her orders; he went towards her, placed one hand upon her, scrolled it around her waist and removed it, revealing that he placed a web string around her torso. Maintaining the web stream, he used his other hand to send a web stream towards the ceiling, making his move up there.

Once up at the top, he made a circumference around one of the broken chains from the chandelier's fall, placing the web into there to act as a hoist. He then used his other hand to climb down to the floor again.

Jade looked on at Spidey's progress, smiled and looked straight up to the ceiling. "You're mine, Senator!"

With a smile, Spidey pulled down on the web that attached himself and Jade, and hoisted her straight up towards the ceiling. As soon as she got there, she brought out her Dai-Jo and stuck it out as a means of initial defense.

She quickly shot out a blue energy sickle from her weapon straight towards the Senator, whom reacted with a jump over it and a clumsy barrel roll from the landing. He then retaliated with several lasers, in which she managed to deflect with her staff.

From down below, the combat between the two looked like a blue and green light show going on above, lighting the group from down below in their respective colors, flickering at a blistering speed.

"Jade, watch out!" Fletch cried from below. "His lasers are getting more intense!"

Jade looked on ahead of her, and she ended up seeing that Cortex was shooting significantly faster as time went on. She knew then that she had to do more than just keep blocking off the shots.

There, she used her staff to not only deflect the shots, but also try to strike him with some high and low shots. Sometimes he was left to hover up and miss a few shots, or duck to the ground and skimming her feet with a few more.

It seemed as if she managed to get the upper hand, until… a snap was heard. She looked up, and saw that the web that was supporting her was slowly starting to snap. She started to show a more determined look as she continued to block.

"Come on, Cortex. You can be faster than that!"

All that the Senator could do was allow his face to develop into a more monstrous expression as he kept shooting at her. His clumsier shots left her to smirk as she knew that in spite of her being in danger, she found a weak spot in his temper.

With that, she found time to block some shots while find more opportunities to attack on others. Slowly but steadily, the scientist started to lose his footing and have problems trying to keep himself onto the hover-board. After a few seconds, that caused him to end up hanging on the edge of his board with his hands.

"He's almost down!" Jade exclaimed while looking down. "Fletch, Spidey, get in there now!"

Spidey followed her command, took a hold of Fletch with one of his hands and aimed his hand towards the ceiling with another. He aimed another web stream, this time hoisting them both up to their level.

Once up towards the top, they saw their situation. Jade was still seen, continuing to fire sickles from her Dai-Jo towards the hover-board, rendering Cortex unable to hoist himself up. That gave Fletch a smile upon the opportunity.

"Get down!!" the pair shouted in unison.

He aimed his spear straight towards the scientist, which by then was starting to glow an intense shade of platinum upon it. And then, as soon as it was fully charged, it spewed a powerful beam of white energy.

The force caused Cortex to let go of the hover-board and fall towards the ground, ready to face his doom. It seemed as if that he would be unable to survive a multiple feet drop, with his face starting to show more anguish as he was ready to hit the ground and accept his fate.

He closed his eyes tightly, ready to get embraced within the darkness.

Not long after that, he felt a sharp jab upon his stomach. This was the end, he thought solemnly to himself. This was the time when his existence would come to a close for good, he continued to think.

He steadily brought himself to opening his eyes. And the first thing he saw was Spider-Man's eyes. He showed a confused glance as he made a further look around him; he came to the conclusion that he was saved from the fall by him, being able to swing to the ground with Fletch in one hand and web control with another.

With a confident smile, he placed Fletch onto the floor and hoisted himself back up towards the ceiling to claim Jade. That left the boy to look on at Cortex's position on the floor, his face looking relieved to know that he had been spared.

"You…" he gasped. "You have such unbelievable wits!"

"Okay, thanks", replied Fletch with an expression of half-irritation and half-sarcasm. "Now tell me where the Emperor is."

Cortex paused before blinking back deviously. "Should I tell or should I not?"

Fletch gave out a blink. He thought that after combating him and saving him in quick succession, there could be something that needed to be told about the Emperor's location. Could it mean that he would refuse to change his attitude after a deed like that?

The boy started to show a more hesitant look as he crouched down, taking a hold onto Cortex's right hand with one of his own. He looked upon him with the most expressive glance with his remaining eye.

"Even if I do want to help you, I can't tell", said the Senator. "_You're_ the one with the spear. You're the one who's meant to find out about all this."

Fletch blinked quietly. No matter what kind of attitude change Cortex might have or not, he still had a point. At the end of the day, they both somehow knew that the spear he maintained had a specific purpose.

Taking a deep breath, he raised it into the sky once more. But instead of facing a force pulling him straight towards a certain object, the light energy was seen pulling from all sorts of directions, leaving him to show a concerned look.

"I can't seem to notice a stable direction", the boy flinched. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, but I think we're in trouble!"

Not long after that comment, Spidey managed to descend to the ground with Jade in his possession. He looked on at Fletch's spear, and it was confirmed that the weapon was flickering with the light energy completely surrounding him.

In addition, the sound of various thudded footsteps was heard. The sound caused the group to remain still in their tracks, with the exception of Darkwing, whom was seen climbing his way out from the torn wallpaper wall, showing an equally surprised expression.

The thuds started to become more intense, to the point that the shattered glass from the fallen chandelier were seen bouncing around in all sorts of locations, disintegrating even more with every thud that occurs on the ground.

As a result, the walls started to break apart, and through there, there came a lilac bird creature with a long neck and wings with large feathers placed onto them, many of them being white with a black stripe going down them. It came into the room and showed a terrifying glance onto the gang.

"Fletch, what's wrong?" Sora asked the boy.

"Nothing, it's just…" Fletch suddenly started shaking and covered his face with one of his arms. "A goose took my eye when I was younger, and now I don't even want to look at them!"

Fletch's cowardly expression caused him to take cover behind Spider-Man, knowing that he was unable to take care of a goose that was the same height of him, let alone a more gargantuan version. The others showed similar expressions of fear, except for Darkwing, whom looked on at it as if he was researching information based on him.

"It looks very abnormal. Do you think it wants to meet and greet us?"

Fletch shook his head from his position, and steadily but surely, he came out from behind Spider-Man and aimed his spear straight towards the mutant. But as soon as he did that, a white energy was seen towing sharply in the direction of the monster, as if the creature was a magnet.

"It seems as if it's bent on making us stop visiting Emperor Ariel, even though…" He started to tremble nervously. "For some reason… it seems to be corresponding with the spear."

"Do you think there's something like a demon roaming around the city, wanting to devour the missing persona?" Darkwing questioned the group with a sarcastic look.

"It's a long bet", Joanna started, "but that could be the only solution we can provide so far. For now, we have to run out together!"

Fletch's face dropped, feeling he was again robbed the chance to see Ariel. "But Joanna…!"

"Come on, before this place crumbles down!"

Joanna made her dash straight towards the exit, which left her to try and wade through the ruined glass from the last battle and try to reach for the door. All that the others could do was follow suit in spite of coming far.

But as soon as they managed to reach the door, the goose started to slam its feet straight towards the ground, causing an earthquake to occur. That left various rocks in the tunnel ahead to start falling.

"Quick, Fletch!"

Joanna brought out her hand, slowed down in her strides and waited for Fletch to catch up. By that point, he was still looking upset due to failing to be able to locate Emperor Ariel inside the building.

With a solemn sigh, he took a hold of Joanna's hand, leaving them both to run together and catch up with the others. But as soon as they were halfway down the tunnel, the quakes started to become significantly more intense.

"He's coming fast!" the boy whimpered.

Fletch started to show a more fearful expression as the quakes continued, this time getting to the point that rubble was starting to fall from the ceiling, developing from pebbles to stones to boulders that could stand to be the same size as him.

They were just about to reach the front door, but before anything could be done, the boulder ended up landing directly in front of them, causing the group to be completely blocked off by the way out.

"Drat, the exit's blocked!" Fletch began to panic. "We're gonna die!"

"No we're not!"

Ratchet showed a face showing a growl upon his teeth. He turned away from the fallen boulders and looked down the darkened corridors leading back up towards the giant room ahead, his hands feeling the urge to take a hold upon his wrench.

A loud honking noise was heard from inside. And it was by that intimidating sound that the lombax had a clear vision in his head over what to do. He started to pace into a run straight back into the room.

"We're going to fight this thing off fair and square. We will make it, trust me on this one!"

With a leer in his eyes, he started to storm his way straight into the room, ready to swing the wrench in whichever directions he could upon entry into the room itself. It wasn't long until the rest of the group decided to follow his example.

It didn't take too long until he managed to reach the room. And as soon as he got there, he made a stop right at the door, looking up at the giant goose mutant that stood before them. He resorted by swapping his wrench for his R.Y.3.N.O in an instant.

"Eat dust, sucker!"

He launched various missiles from it towards the beast, hoping to try and hurt it. They all managed to hit them with various clouds of yellow powdered smoke surround them, leaving the beast to roar and take a step back.

Ratchet withdrew his weapon and proceeded with trying to knock the legs with his wrench, but before he could layer a strike upon him, the goose managed to leap straight into the air, flapping its wings as fast as it could.

It resorted with sending out shards of black and white crystals from out of nowhere, showering straight down on the lombax. He reacted by rolling out of the way and pulling out another pocket weapon from his possession.

"How do you like this taste in medicine?" he casually remarked.

He unveiled it, showing itself to be a machine gun type weapon – a B6 Obliterator. He pulled the trigger, causing various sparks to fly above, striking the creature and causing it to take many other steps back.

That procedure managed to continue for several seconds, yet unfortunately for the lombax, the ammunition was going down really quickly. That left him to look towards his ammo counter hesitantly – no sooner did he end up with 20 bullets out of a possible 400.

"Dang, my ammo's almost starting to run dry!" Ratchet started to exclaim. "I need backup!"

"Hopefully he won't be as fast as Cortex was!"

Quickly, Joanna managed to step forward, holding her pistols tightly. She made a brief glare towards the goose mutant, which retaliated by swinging its head to the ground, trying to attack her.

"Let's go!" she shouted towards the creature.

And so she made her run straight towards the monster, rolling her way across the floor and making periodical stops, shooting from her pistols trying to pierce its body. Some of the shots caused it to wince, while various others caused it to use its wings to shield itself against her coming attacks.

"I seem to be piercing him left right and center! But he doesn't seem to show any signs of giving up!"

"Don't worry about it", Sora re-assured from the sidelines. "We'll try everything we can."

Sora managed to step forward and point his keyblade into the air as he did so. Nearby, Darkwing looked on at him with a curious glance, poking his head through the torn alcove. A small gust started to form among their immediate surroundings.

"Darkwing! Fuse!"

"Wha…" Darkwing reacted by holding onto the wall. "Aaaargh!"

The winds picked up, causing him to end up flying straight out from the hole and into the air, weaving his way straight through its legs. As soon as he reached Sora, a flash of purple showed up in the air, resulting in a change in outfit for the former and a disappearance for the latter. The key bearer's costume now showed a purple color code around him.

"What the Heck was that?" Fletch asked the rest of the group with amazement.

"I can recognize this technique from his training for his role in Kingdom Hearts II", Ratchet remarked. "His clothes would allow him to fuse with an ally and take a new form depending on their power. I think given his fusion with Darkwing, I would call that the "Courage Form" between you and me."

"This looks…" Fletch struggled to finish his sentence. "Interesting?"

Fletch gave off a curious blink as Sora was seen making his dash straight across the area, raising his keyblade into the air and firing several purple plasma shots straight from the tip of it. The mutant goose responded by making various snaps towards the keybearer, who responded with several jumps in the air and repeated fire.

"Fire!!"

More shots were triggered from inside it, causing the creature to wince even further as the intensity increased. But in spite of that, the damage taken in was far from significant, to the point that it then started to step in various sets of directions to try and evade the creature as much as it could.

"He's getting a little too quick even for me! This isn't looking good!"

"How else can we attack from a distance from here if we aren't powerful enough?" Fletch started to ask with a more fearful tone.

"Out of the way!" exclaimed a hidden voice.

The group then looked up, towards one of the columns that graced the entryway that they came through to begin with. The shadow that stood on top of it soon leapt its way straight down towards them, showing it to be a familiar figure – a figure that they indeed managed to fight once before.

"Senator Cortex?" Spidey reacted at the sight of him.

"I've faced this creature before. He should be no match for me!"

Cortex leered straight towards the creature, pointing his laser gun straight towards the monster's crooked head. It retaliated with an ear-splitting roar straight towards the Senator, leaving it to start making a dash across the room, using its beak to try and inflict any damage directly towards its opponent.

The Senator however responded by running across the room, hoping to find a way to further inflict damage towards the creature. Yet it wasn't long after that that he managed to see his jet board, tossed onto the floor as if it was a used toy. Seeing his opportunity, he dived for it and climbed onto it.

"Take this!"

Hovering a few inches above the ground, he pointed his gun straight towards the creature, shooting whichever set of green lasers he could towards its face. It then retaliated by launching purple plasma shots from its own mouth, causing them both to engage in a duel on who would get disintegrated first.

"Wow, those lasers seem to be intense!" Jade then gasped from nearby. "Do you think he'll make it?"

Spidey gave off a mild nod in response. "I just hope we didn't weaken him too much since that last battle, but we'll see how far he takes it!"

All that Jade and Spidey could do was watch on with caution as the fight was soon taken straight into the sky. The shots were then sent to the point that both Cortex and the mutant goose ended up surrounding the area where the chandelier once stood. Their reflections were easily seen among the chain that used to support it.

"Not this time!!" the Senator leered.

The creature responded by launching more shots upon him, leaving Cortex to duck and take a hold upon the chain, swinging underneath it like an adult gorilla and making his way straight towards the monster, in an attempt to attack it by means of using the flat burning surface of the jet pack.

The creature was then struck upon its stomach, leaving it to end up wincing upon the attack and shrieking upon the contact. That left Cortex to hover down towards the floor, soon making his way gracefully among the tiles like a figure skater. It didn't take too long for the mutant to catch up, doing everything in its power to catch up towards the Senator.

"Up!!"

As he came towards a wall, he tilted his jet board to the point that he was ready to ride the upper regions of the wall as if he was riding a floor itself. Without much time to react, all that the mutant could do was slam its head straight onto the wall, causing it to see shooting stars above its head as it made its collision.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Fletch shouted towards the Senator from a distance.

"Stand back! He could kill you!"

Cortex took a tighter grip onto his laser as he hovered further and further above the creature. As that happened, the rest of the group held onto each others' hands and took a stand back as they saw the nozzle of the gun suddenly transform into an eerie shade of green with each passing second.

"Perish, now!!!"

Upon his cry, a powerful plasma shot was launched from the nozzle, giving off a swirling green and white glow as it fell further down towards the ground. It came closer and closer towards the mutant, whom ended up having a widened eye as it started to make its escape through the crack it entered from.

It then made its run through the darkness, stamping its feet steadily upon the damp grounds. But by the time it even ended up being halfway through, Cortex's plasma shot struck the entrance, causing the mutant's surroundings to shake. Various bits of debris started to fall from the ceiling as a result.

It continued to run faster and faster, noting that a boulder was going to attempt to trap another fallen wall leading to the way out. And then, it landed straight in front of the door, only to be knocked out and into the water by the mutant as it started to proceed in flying away, deeper and deeper into the night sky.

Back in the room, the debris left behind from the plasma shot ended up covering the room in its entirety. The strength of the smoke left Fletch on his knees, coughing as he tried to focus upon his coming surroundings. It didn't take too long until the room's visibility was gradually restored, giving him room to try and stand up.

Fletch's coughs became gentler as the mist became thinner. "What… happened?"

Spidey was also seen struggling to breathe within the mist. "I don't believe this…!"

Spidey tried to look ahead from his viewpoint, yet in spite of the restoring visions, nothing much was seen other than the ruins that managed to occur from the previous two battles inside the room they were in. Some of the other team members tried to look on, only to struggle to see beyond a few meters.

Eventually, a figure was seen amongst the mist, standing and facing the large torn wall ahead. It was seen standing there with its arms relaxed by its side, looking on at the hole as if it was an artistic artifact. The increasing visual strength of the room soon showed the figure to be the one that helped them combat the goose monster.

"Senator Cortex!" Fletch shouted out to him.

Fletch made his dash straight towards the Senator, trying his best not to step into any fallen rocks or glass shards left behind from the battle. Once he ended up being a foot away from him, he came to a stop and looked on at him, his remaining eye showing a glare of gratitude among the iris.

"Why…" Fletch struggled to compose his question. "Why did you save us?"

"I think I have a further explanation to make", Cortex sighed.

With a frown on his face, he made his pacing towards the rest of the team members, eyeing them one by one. Within that time, Sora's body glowed, causing Darkwing to separate from his body and his clothes to restore into the natural colors that they were before. Not long after that, the senator turned back towards Fletch with a blink.

"It has been known that you were sent to retrieve the Emperor by order of friends of Senator Peppy Hare. Am I correct?"

Fletch responded with a wink. "Fox seems to know him, I guess."

"However, that could be a foolish mistake on his part."

Having made that remark, he shook his head and made his walk towards a nearby wall, bringing his eyes onto the wallpaper pattern. Yet upon closer inspection, it was more than just a fancy pattern brought upon it – in the occasional rectangles were a cryptic language placed upon them – a sequence of boxes that made his eyes show occasional fear.

"A few days ago, I saw the truth in what Ariel was seeking for, thanks to some close observations around his private study and a letter he left behind for the Senate", he began to inform to the rest of the team. "It seems as if he wants to use his powers on the throne to a stronger extent than they are now."

"But he's the Emperor of the city", Fletch addressed with a puzzled glare. "Isn't he happy with what he has?"

"I don't know", replied Cortex, "but I saw that he wanted to take hold of various higher members of the city to accomplish that dream. And my role in this is to hide many of those personnel from his nose."

Sighing, he turned straight back towards the torn alcove that he emerged from, pacing gently among the floor as he did so. It didn't take too long until he made his stop, turned around and looked straight on at the boy, his eyes at that instance turning from a fearful glare to one that showed knowledge and expertise.

"You see, that monster you fought…"

Fletch looked on at him, curious to know more about the monster that they managed to fight. They remained in silence for several seconds, until Cortex managed to raise his hand and point straight at the boy.

"_That_ was Emperor Ariel."

"He WHAT?" Fletch gasped at the top of his voice. "That wasn't what he looked like in the photograph! How is that possible?"

"I don't have time to make full explanations on this one", the senator sighed as he shook his head. "For now, I have the city residents that I managed to kidnap on the way here right next door, so they will hopefully be freed too and ready to go about their business."

Having said that, Cortex lowered his head once again, turned around and started pacing himself towards the torn alcove, the darkness of the tunnel starting to cast an eerie shadow among his face. His face was brought into an upsetting expression once again.

"I'm sorry for putting you under so much trouble."

Again, he lowered his head towards the ground, knowing for sure that though he did his best to guard the citadel, there was still a grave mistake that he might have made for fighting someone who could still declare themselves innocent. Yet, his doubts started to alter as soon as Fletch approached him by placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't feel bad about yourself, Senator. You only did what you thought was right."

Cortex turned towards the boy, and he saw among his facial expression that he felt so hopeful and full of life. In spite of facing a tough combat within the room just moments ago, seeing him emerge confident and refusing to let his spirit go is a sign that he would never give into the wrong influences.

With that, he pointed straight on towards the torn alcove, leading the group down there. Expecting there to be a dead end, their thoughts were altered when they saw a large copper brown door that resembled the entrance for a submarine. They all went through it one by one, ready to see what was on the other side.

**

* * *

**

Time passed, and the group started making their way down a nearby stairwell, walking steadily down the passageway. It didn't help that some aspects of their route was damp and slippery, making it hard to maintain their footing among the steep stairs and the moist handrail that went alongside it.

Several hundred steps later, they made their way to the base level. Cortex was the first to make it down, and as soon as he did, he turned to his left and saw a metallic door with a keypad placed to the left of it. He walked up to it with several long strides, twitching his fingers as he edged closer and closer.

"They should be right here. This area was guarded so that only people who knew the password to this place would get through."

With a smirk, he pointed one of his fingers and used it to tap in a number combination into the keypad. After it was inserted, a light above the door was lit a bright green color, causing the doors to open up slowly.

"This room is ours for the taking", he smiled with success. "Let's go."

"I hope everyone's okay", Fletch said nervously. "I'll be happy to see these guys finally escape from here!"

Fletch smiled as he started to pace his way behind Cortex. As soon as they both made it inside, the rest of the team followed one by one, thinking hard about the surroundings that could end up being right ahead of them. Yet, with the mist gradually clearing, not even the senator himself felt easy about what was to be seen inside.

"What?" he puzzled at the sight of the room.

Through the mist, he saw a dungeon setting. Yet in spite of that, the small cells that were placed to store any personnel were seen open wide, some of which with doors knocked off, and some others with iron bars being split and bent to allow easier access in and out. His eyes started to quiver at the sign of it.

"This can't be! How did the dungeon get torn apart like this?"

With panic, Cortex made his run straight towards the cells, his eyes showing a deeper sign of concern as he came closer and closer towards them. Upon a closer inspection, several fresh footprints were seen printed among the dense ground, pointing to and away from the cells themselves.

"Jak! Rayman! Sonic!"

His screams could be echoed across the room. No matter how hard he could shout at the top of the voice, nothing could change the fact that his 'prisoners' have gone missing. His limbs started to quiver like jelly baking under a hot sun, leaving him to turn towards the boy with that feeling starting to transfer to his face.

"Who…" he tried to re-compose himself. "Who took them all? I need answers!"

"Do you think it could have been Ariel?" Darkwing asked the senator.

"I doubt it. Unless he can utilize his beak for storage, I swore that he fought alone."

Maintaining a panicked glare, he turned back towards the emptied prison cells. He walked his way towards them, taking a hold among the bars as he did so. A whimper was seen emerging silently through his mouth.

"Still I just don't get this", his voice tone altered to form cowardly whines. "Who would take my prisoners from under my nose? Without them, how are we supposed to protect the city from Ariel's coming wrath?"

Fletch couldn't help but blink with confusion. "Coming... wrath?"

"He's the one that started the whole thing by taking Crash", Cortex bitterly responded. "I mean, what does he want with such a weak-minded bandicoot like him anyway? He had to pick the weakest link to the whole conspiracy!"

He then rose one of his feet to try and kick the walls and bars as hard as he could and doing everything he can to express his anger at the event. Yet, Fletch's expression showed one of concern, causing him to make his way towards the scientist and take a hold of him around the chest, pulling him closer to the center of the room.

"Please, don't feel so uptight about this", the boy ordered the senator. "For now, I think we should work together and see what happened. We should all go back to the HQ in the White Dragonfly district and re-think the strategy."

"Are you crazy?" Darkwing loudly questioned in protest. "This guy has been opposing us for most of the journey, and now you want to take him in? What if he is just a sly spy, just like Dimitri?"

"I can see that he has some good in him. Besides, even if Dimitri did block us from the island, he must have been doing some right things too by protecting us from that monster."

Fletch's glare upon Darkwing showed that he might mean something – a ridiculous decision to take on board a figure that has done everything that he could to prevent him from reaching the Emperor, true, but it could still relate to the missing personnel crisis at hand. In spite of his more reasoned glare, Joanna still showed a more confused glance as she looked on at her surroundings.

"This is something that I still don't get myself. Ariel saved the city from poverty, and now, according to Senator Cortex, he wants to conquer the world. What's going on?"

"Maybe Fox has some answers", Spidey jumped to what could be a conclusion. "With his connections to the Senate, I'm pretty sure that we'll learn something from him."

"That's true", nodded Jade. "And given that Axel and Praxis were also out to kill the Emperor too, we may be in for more than we bargained for."

"And with all this going on at once, I'll make the COM link as soon as possible", said Sora as he placed one of his hands close to a zipped pocket in his pants. "Fox's team as well as ours needs as much help from each other if we need to take that last battle into account."

With that, Sora went inside the pocket and pulled out the walkie-talkie device earlier used by Fletch to contact the crew. Holding onto it, he walked outside, hoping to utilize it on the way down. The rest of the team soon followed his footsteps.

"I suppose this strategy seems easier than beating the mucus out of it for no good reason", Ratchet shrugged.

"Of course", replied Fletch. "But for now, we have to get out of this place while we still can. We don't want any more goose mutants trying to blow this place apart."

Fletch showed a determined blink as they made their way back out into the open. Yet, they looked straight back at the stairs they came from – a set of steep, slippery and difficult to ascend set of stairs, hard enough just to make their way towards the base level, yet unknowing of how hard it could be to climb back up them.

Nearby, Cortex pushed his way through the group and made his way towards a blank wall up ahead. He pulled out a small boulder that was twice the size of his hand, causing the wall to open up slowly and show itself as a manufactured tunnel, crafted for underground travel. As soon as it was fully opened, they all went through together.

It didn't take long for them to reach light, in the form of a glass tunnel that extended itself through the canal separating the John Moors district from the mainland. Very little aquatic life could be seen aside from a few guppies and plenty of underwater plants, giving the scene a varied sense of unease in spite of looking so beautiful thanks to the moonlight casting through the water.

All that Fletch knew as he went down the tunnel was that he did his best in finding Emperor Ariel. And though the result was more unorthodox than he thought, he was found nonetheless. Regardless of the end result of their excursion through the citadel, he knew that his time in the city was bound to be granted an extension.

_-end of chapter-_


	11. Of Secrets and Samaritans

AUTHOR NOTES

Right, after a two week break it's time we got back into the spirit of uploading parts for the story once again.

If you want to know what I've been doing all this time, the last week was spent dedicated to daily uploading pages for an intermission comic - "The Theoropolis Guide to Fan Writers", which is currently on display at my Deviantart archive right about now. It may be a little bit more random in comparison to the fic, but I hope it works well enough to serve as a refreshing intermission.

And now we move onto the next part in line. Towing in the mutant goose at the end of the previous chapter was fun, though the reasoning behind its implementation was because the whole thing with Fletch getting attacked by a goose was not too dissimilar to me getting attacked by a goose on my grandmother's farm as a little girl. I didn't face any major casualties, luckily enough, but it did leave me with some pretty tense memories though.

Still, let's think of the current situation. Someone has ran off with Cortex's prisoners, which by now we found out that Ariel has prisoned Crash and Cortex's purpose in maintaining them was protecting them from whatever the emperor would do to them. This aspect will be explored in a little bit more depth in this part, so I hope it goes down well enough.

Thanks again, and let's hope I get a few more regulars as a result :)

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_It didn't take long until the rainy season started to kick in. For days at a time, the water started to pour down among Fort Pearl's streets, leaving various streams and crooks to form among the concrete roads._

_Some of the water was drained away into the sewers. Some of the others were left to flow further down the street and form giant puddles near some of the lower parts of the town. It could be almost perfect for just about anyone to go down there and splash into them with Wellington boots on their feet._

_But that wasn't what I was feeling. I was left to sit near a window and look out towards the dreary sky, seeing the raindrops trickle down the glass panels really slowly. I sighed as I looked down towards the ground._

_"I take this is bad weather to buy some pasties, huh?" I sighed to myself._

_"You're right. It's hard to do anything at a time like this."_

_I looked to my left, and I saw Akumi making her entrance into the room. She too looked just as distraught as me, thinking that we would struggle to make the best of our days with the heavy rainfall._

_She came to sit next to me by the window. Her reflection was seen just as clearly as mine, and her expression showed a look that didn't quite seem any more cheerful than mine. But eventually, her eyes lit up and she took one look at me._

_"Hey, I've got an idea! We can get mother and play Monopoly! You might invite Han over - he seems like a very nice guy too!"_

_"I can't invite Han", I replied. "He's staying with his grandpa at the other side of the county."_

_I then sighed as I looked to the right. The ornaments started to change a lot as time managed to go on – a few china pots were shifted around, and amongst our photos, there came a simple snapshot of Han and myself, standing in front of the school gates._

_It was a reminder that I had to make me think of a friend that was there when I needed someone to talk to. And if there was anything learnt from his experience around me, it was to make sure that optimism is the answer to everything._

_"But still, a three person Monopoly is not a bad idea. It'll be fun to be able to look onto you guys, genuine mother and sister in tow!"_

_She paused before whispering to me. "Genuine?"_

_Akumi looked at me once more, except this time her eyes didn't quite seem as full as the usual. Her face somehow started to turn white, even though her cheeks continued to remain being their usual deep red color._

_Eventually, she started to show a quiver upon her lips, leaving her to look straight down and her pigtails to end up hanging over her face. That was telling me that she was ready to face another one of those days again._

_"Fletch..." she spoke with a weak tone._

_"What?"_

_"I think, with the way you said we were genuine, I should mention the truth."_

_That was something that I wasn't expecting to hear from her mouth. I've known her since I was born, as well as that I'm aware of a mental weakness that she isn't aware of yet, so what else was I to know about her?_

_"The truth?" I asked, looking confused._

_"I'm not as genuine as you think, though your mother would be though."_

_She then recomposed herself and made her walk towards the sofa, her hands starting to twitch even more. Once she got there, she sat down onto it, and then sprawled out onto it upon her stomach, her eyes showing a more insecure glance._

_"This is something I've learnt for the past two years, and now I think you're old enough to understand as well."_

_I never thought I'd see some knowledge come out from her mouth, but I decided to try and take it in anyway. I looked around and saw a small wooden stool near the coffee table; picking it up and moving it towards the sofa I settled down and looked on at her._

_I then waited patiently for whatever words would come out of her mouth. She tried to speak, but there was something about her shaking limbs that was telling me that it would be so difficult for her to express herself._

_She tried again, and again, and again. And in all those instances, she started to show a more shaken glance than the usual. And just like that, she lowered her head with her pigtails covering her head._

_"Akumi!"_

_I jumped off the stool and sat onto the couch, being careful not to sit on my elder sister. I placed a hand upon her, stroking her back gently, hoping to calm her down. But then, she raised her head and looked at me with what looked like a zombie-like expression._

_"I..." she recomposed herself again. "I was adopted."_

_"What?" I screamed with fright._

_"It's true. I've never met my birth parents face to face. I don't even know why they gave up on me either!"_

_Her eyes then started to look very watery. There must have been some instance about that experience that would make things look difficult for her to cope. To me, that feels more like general anguish than the more uptight outbursts I often see from her._

_But I still didn't quite understand. How could she end up being adopted? And even if that did end up being true, her parents must have been really cruel to leave a moderately retarded yet kind figure like Akumi amongst unfamiliar surroundings._

_But now that I thought of it, the idea of people leaving her behind because she had an autistic disorder can be explainable. It could be very heartless and sadistic, but nonetheless her trials were still starting to make sense._

_"Gee, I never knew that before", I said with shock. "But this is a real shock to me."_

_"It was to me too. Finding out that you're catered by a family with no blood links is like your whole childhood being a lie."_

_She started to sigh with a frown. I couldn't help but feel just as painful inside as she was, trying to figure out exactly how she could have felt when she was told all about this for the very first time. With a light blink I went towards her and placed a hand underneath her chin, trying to get her eyes to light up again._

_"Whatever you do, don't take it as badly as I did two years ago", she advised me._

_I gave her a promising nod, making sure that I will try not to take it as bad as possible. But I still have concerns that my mother would somehow remind me about this all over again at precisely the wrong time and place._

_Whichever happens, it was then that I knew how she has ended up feeling the way she feels on a regular basis. Whenever she would be able to let it all slide in the end would remain to be seen, however._

_I still felt that she faced a cruel time in the past few months. Bitterness could rage the air had it not been for her kind hearted nature. But I still think that in the end, she needs to learn to control that bitterness and channel it in some form or other._

_And with the way this rain is going, so should I._

---

Day 4

_Senatorial Housing, Philip Cosmopolitan District - 10:15PM_

The night started to settle in a lot more around the varying districts of the city. By then, the sky was entirely a navy color, with the moon being obscured by cloud lining and various stars starting to poke straight through the dark canvas.

The Philips Cosmopolitan District managed to counter the lack of light by having bright glowing lamps igniting the way through to the Senatorial Housing. By then, most of the residents were already inside the audience room, sitting calmly.

Many of them were discussing several debating issues among one another, all except one person – the King of All Cosmos. The amount of on-going discussions prior to the meeting's purpose left him to stand up and call out towards the group.

"Silence, everyone!!"

The group suddenly stopped talking amongst one another. He then sat straight back down into his chair as he managed to do so, and as that happened he looked among his own surroundings, the electric lights making things easier to see within the night setting.

There were two empty seats in the entire room, one of which being the obvious disappearance of Senator Cortex, and the other being an empty stool that was often occupied by the Queen of All Cosmos. He gave out a light sigh and started to address the senate.

"It has come to our attention that Senator Cortex was responsible for the kidnappings and trying to overthrow Ariel's throne! We just don't understand how that came to happen like that, do you Peppy?"

"I'm not too sure of this either", replied the hare, "but that's the information I got back from Fox. The problem is, the hostages that Cortex kept are no longer with him but have been taken elsewhere by another kind of figure. I haven't heard too much on the matter to be sure yet."

"Never mind that, I can't believe Senator Cortex stuck us up like that!" Murfy retaliated while shaking his fists.

"Yeah!" imitated Duckula. "Who invited him on the Senate anyway?"

"It's rather a decision that was made by the Emperor himself", informed the King, "but now seeing Cortex's newfound unreliability we need to seriously re-evaluate his position. However, without Ariel, we can't even do that, so we need to think of something to restrain him by for the time being."

All of a sudden, a door was heard swinging wide open. The group looked straight ahead, and saw a shadow make its way inside. It stepped into the light – or rather, she – and showed herself as the Queen, her eyes and mouth showing a feeling of shock.

"Stop press!"

The King stood up once again. "What is it now, our Queen?"

She started to shake, leaving her to make a walk towards the group while taking a series of cautious footsteps straight towards the table. Once she got there, she placed her hands upon the wooden worktops and looked out to everyone.

"I've just seen some kind of giant purple monster swoop over the city! It was going right across the skies at a blistering speed!"

"A monster?" Samus asked, looking puzzled.

"What kind of being would unleash a monster onto the city?" questioned Lara. "We haven't had one of those incidents in years!"

"I don't know", the Queen replied. "But it looked serious. It would swoop into many random directions, and then... and then..."

She tried to speak again, but before she could even do anything, she started to whimper in her speech before looking straight down towards the ground. Nearby, Clank jumped down from his seat and walked straight towards her.

"Please recompose yourself, ma'am. You can easily get your message across."

She looked down at the robot and his confident expression. The robot's confidence left him to end up looking straight down towards him, showing a faint quiver upon him as she continued to look straight down.

"It flew to the White Dragonfly district, covering a third of it in a dark purple cloud! Then all of a sudden it decided to retreat to some place far away. I just don't understand what's going on."

"But the White Dragonfly is my district!" Peppy shouted from the other end of the table. "How could something have gone wrong at a time like this?"

Peppy managed to get up from his seat and looked out towards the window. The view of the city was still obscured by a means of shadow, leaving him to reach towards a nearby switch. He flicked it on, lighting up the garden lights outside.

And it was there that the city view was placed around him. Right ahead was the White Dragonfly district, and true to her word, a painful purple cloud was seen covering it as if it was smoke from an incense fire.

"Holy..." he whispered fearfully.

A sweeping monstrous figure was seen hovering its way high into the sky, yet it didn't hang around the district for long. It then managed to fly and take refuge beyond the city's barriers, residing in a place hidden deep amongst the forest.

His expression remained focused upon the White Dragonfly district itself, covering itself in a thicker cloud with each passing moment. The looks of it started to make his face turn paler and paler.

"Senator Hare!"

Snake brought himself up from his seat and made his rush straight towards the Senator. He tried to look on at him, and it was there that he saw that Peppy was starting to show a deeper expression of shock, with his hands hanging tightly upon his body.

The hare ended up taking several staggering steps backwards, moaning as that happened. All that Snake could do was reacting by making his walk straight behind him, outstretching his hands as he did so.

And there, Peppy fainted into his arms, his legs sliding upon the floor as he did so. Snake then carefully placed his head upon the floor and went around the other side of the hare, taking a light grasp around his shirt and looking upon his face.

"Senator Hare, are you okay?" Snake tried to speak to him.

"We think this has come to a shock to him", the King sighed as he shook his head. "We suggest that you take him to the lobby and leave him to recover."

"I'm on it, Chancellor."

Snake gave off a firm nod before looking down towards Peppy once more. He stood up and made his way to the back of his head, took a hold of him by the shoulders and tried to drag him around the room.

Lara and Samus soon managed to chip in by coming near Snake and lifting his legs and torso respectively. Then, once he was firm in their grasp, all three of them left the room by the standard doors utilised by the Senate.

The King's expression started to look grim as he looked on at the three departing from the room. Though he managed to discover that Senator Cortex was behind the force that would overthrow the Emperor, only fate would know what turn of events the dark cloud over the White Dragonfly district would bring.

---

The White Dragonfly district was seen settling into a deeper shade of darkness, with only the lit torches from earlier in the evening casting light towards the streets. Not a single entity was seen making its walk down the fine tarmac-covered paths.

In the middle of a plaza near the canal area, there was a sewer lid, lying steadily in the middle of the road. It was soon seen shaking slightly, before moving its way towards the left and showing a black hole underneath it.

From underneath it, Fletch managed to bring his head up, making his way out from the hole and climbing up on all fours. The rest of the group managed to follow, soon breaking their stances into runs deeper into the district.

"We have to keep moving!" Fletch commanded the group around him. "The sooner we get back to Fox's gang, the sooner we can share our findings!"

"Fletch, calm down. It's not as if they will be dropping dead any time soon", replied Darkwing, shaking his head. "That's only for replaced girlfriends and 17th century stage characters."

Darkwing placed a hand onto Fletch's shoulder as he ran, and he managed to provide a light smile as he did that. But in spite of that, his expression didn't change from the glare-like look he had while running.

They went round several corners, and eventually they made their return to Blaze's tailors. Fletch made a stop at it, and the first thing he noticed about it was a purple cloud making its way above the building, as well as several smashed windows.

"HQ..." Fletch whispered quietly with a quiver in his lip.

Cortex looked on at the structure with a similar shocked expression. "This looks... almost barren if you ask me."

The group looked on at the exterior of the building. And they saw that various bits of rubble were falling from the walls and the ceiling, almost as if the entire building was going to be an ancient ruin that would soon collapse.

Fletch and Sora both ran towards the entrance together, stepping over the fallen door and going inside. A light mist was seen covering the room, making their viewpoint hard to look around entirely.

"Fox! Blaze! Spyro!"

Sora tried to call for his comrades, in-between gasping for breath thanks to the intensity of the mist. But no matter how powerful his best efforts were, there was nothing heard inside other than the sound of small crumbling rocks.

Fletch tried to creep his way around the building, trying to look for any personnel. But all that he managed to find was the copter pack that Spyro used, unfolded and looking as if it needed maintenance thanks to its position underneath a fallen piece of wooden scaffolding.

"It's no use", Sora said pessimistically nearby. "They don't seem to be here."

"But who would ruin a place like this anyway?" Jade asked with a concerned tone. "It's almost as if whoever came into here was looking for something."

Fletch looked on at Sora and Jade, both of them looking as concerned as each other. The two of them soon managed to walk their way inside, being careful not to end up in any dangerous portions of the ruined building.

They kept searching, looking under parts of fallen scaffolding and being careful not to get struck on the head by falling piles of sand-like rubble. There was still nothing found. It was almost as if all hope could be lost.

"Look over here!"

The shout caused the group to look towards the other side of the room, where Joanna was seen standing near a wall. Various torn pieces of cloth were seen covering it, which she was seen tearing down as easy as spider webs.

"What is it?" Ratchet asked her as he surveyed the wall.

"Look here!" Joanna reacted by pointing at the wall. "It looks heavily damaged, but I can make a message out of it."

She pulled away several slabs of the cloth, eventually seeing what looked like a clouded set of lines shown upon the wall. She kicked it, allowing some of the rubble to end up sliding off and onto the floor like sand from a sandcastle.

Further kicking left some of the decaying rubble to fall more and more, causing a series of small piles to end up forming on the floor. After several moments, she stopped and took several steps back.

Right in front of them, there was a message etched into the wall with burn marks, as if they were etched onto there with a powerful flamethrower. The words "FIND COCO" were readable among the wall.

Spidey made a steady turn straight towards Joanna. "So you're saying they must have fled to the diner?"

"It's a long shot", Ratchet sighed before Joanna could even speak, "but I think that must be their only choice."

Ratchet lowered his head, with his ears slightly pointing into the air as he did that. For what he knew, Fox and his gang could be in grave danger, yet resulting in the falling of Blaze's tailors could just decrease anyone's spirit.

But he looked up again and started to pass a light smile. He looked on at Joanna, whom looked on at the wall with a proud glance. He knew that without her, they might have never known where Fox might have been.

"You know Joanna; I'm starting to respect you more and more. You're showing more logic rather than being egoistic about everything."

Ratchet outstretched one of his arms, hoping to take a light grasp onto her hand as he did that. And then he did, providing a light handshake between the two of them. He soon made his walk outside as that happened.

Joanna, however, looked far from amused as he looked on at Ratchet. How he could find a way to trust her for something like that was something that escaped her mind. With a light scowl, she took a light grasp upon her pistol while sustaining from withdrawing it.

"You've just earned a foe for the next two months, lombax."

With a light growl, she walked outside, stomping her feet steadily among the gritty grounds of the ruins, with the resulting rubble trailing up into the air in a gaseous form, hoping to blend in more with the mist.

The rest of the group soon made their way outside, leaving them to look behind them at the ruin that was left behind. Whatever managed to happen to cause the collapse would be anyone's guess at the moment in time.

Yet there was still an important task to tackle and follow on from. Fletch looked down at the unfolded copter pack gadget, and then at the ruined building. With the considerations in mind, he knew for sure that there will be a return to the Diner for more reasons than one.

---

About 10 to 15 minutes passed, and the Rosemary Fields district was looking significantly cleaner than its more upper class counterpart. It was just as peaceful and quiet, with barely any sign of any disturbances to make the surroundings uneasy.

In that time, the group made their way past the checkpoint from the White Dragonfly district, walking straight back into the wide-spaced plaza not too far from the diner itself. There they managed to see its sign, lit up in bright blue and white neon lights.

They made their steady walk across the plaza, wading between the fountains that managed to stand within it. As soon as they reached the stairs, they looked ahead of them and saw… the door being wide open.

"You deranged pussycat!" screeched a mid-tone male voice. "Get out of my way!"

Upon the shout of the voice, Cortex made a gasp, using his hands to cover his mouth and his skin to turn a significantly paler shade of yellow than the usual. That caused Fletch to turn to him with a blink of concern.

"Ripto's here?" the Senator whimpered. "But how?"

"Ripto?" Fletch asked Cortex with a perplexed tone.

"We were a team, trying to usurp the throne from Ariel together. I don't have much time to explain as Ripto could hurt just about anyone!"

The Senator then pointed straight towards the door, before trying to break into a run, unfortunately leading into him tripping up upon the nearby slope and rolling down it like a hedgehog in the gutter of a pinball machine.

The remainder of the group managed to take it easy down the slope before making their dash straight towards the diner itself, being careful not to step onto Cortex on the way down. As soon as they were all set, they started to break into a faster dashing speed.

"Hang in there!" Fletch cried out as he continued to dash.

Several seconds later, they reached the door. They made their way straight inside, with their eyes showing further determination upon the dim lights. Yet, oddly enough for them, the light was just as dim inside as the moonlight outside.

They steadily made their way inside the diner, focusing on around the dark surroundings around them. As soon as they reached the center table, their attention was paid towards the door holding the room of mirrors.

Blaze was seen standing in front of it, doing her best to guard the door on her own. She was seen leering on at an orange monster donning a purple cloak – a familiar figure to Senator Cortex.

Ripto was in the building.

"Heir to the Samaritans, I want you to please move out of the way so I can get my hands on the fifth member."

"Why should I tell you?" Blaze shouted back. "You want to take my friends just so you can torture them and make fun of! You have no right to call yourself a sorcerer! Besides, we faced enough with that purple monster that tried to ransack the White Dragonfly district. Can't you give us time to relax?"

She growled over at the monster, bringing out one of her hands to flicker a small flame upon one of her fingertips. That showed itself as an intense light among Ripto's eyes, knowing that she could get dangerous if she casts a more potential fire spell.

But having seen that she didn't intend to throw it, he gritted his teeth slightly and pointed his golden sceptre straight towards the cat. An intense glow of red magical energy was forming upon its tip.

"Your time is running out", he spoke with a cackle in his voice. "There is no way you will even survive if you don't follow my orders. If you don't move away from the door, your memory will be turned into melted cheese!"

Ripto's sceptre charged with a significantly brighter glare than Blaze's flamed finger. She reacted by removing the flame from her hands and looking on at Ripto, her face looking more intense as the power glowed.

Yet, she held tightly towards the door, and continued to grit her teeth while showing as many acts as bravery as she could. She then pointed her head straight forward and leered straight at the creature, her tail starting to twitch more cautiously than the usual.

"Make me!" she cried with a brash tone.

Ripto gave off a cackle as he took a step back and brought the sceptre behind his back as if he was going to lure it as a fishing line. That left the reflection of his action to show into Blaze's eyes, as the group were left to watch on with wide-eyed expressions.

"Blaze!!" Darkwing called out for her in the background.

Ripto stood there, pointing his head up and breaking into sinister laughter. "You've just sealed your fate!"

With a devious glare, Ripto sent a powerful red and white beam towards Blaze. It ended up striking her body, causing her to get lifted into the air due to the intensity and force of the beam itself.

And then, as soon as the light died down, Blaze was freed, but her body was dropped to the floor, limper than a rag doll. The sight of that happening left Ripto to leer as he walked up to her to inspect her further, but…

"Ripto, what are you doing?"

The question caused his eyes to widen at the sound of the voice. That caused him to blink and slowly turned around. And there, he was surprised by the sight of Senator Cortex making his appearance.

He withdrew his laser gun and pointed it straight on at Ripto, whom retaliated with a slightly shaken look as he pointed his sceptre on at him. Why the Senator was acting the way he was must have meant that something might have gone wrong, he thought to himself.

And then, the Senator reacted by shooting his laser straight on at him, whom reacted by using the rod proportion of the sceptre to deflect the shot to the ceiling and cause a smoked hole straight above him.

"Senator Cortex!" Ripto exclaimed.

Ripto further growled at him as he pointed his sceptre straight forward once more. There, Cortex reacted by using his laser to deflect any attack that could be launched from the sceptre. Yet, all that came from the orange creature was a set of words.

"Why are you hanging around with those miscreants? You clearly stated from the start that those were your opposing force for the entire operation!"

"I know, and we worked together to attempt to seize their efforts", Cortex reminded his comrade. "But now, they've come to realise the truth."

"The... the truth?"

Ripto's eyes widened at the sound of Cortex's response. Maybe they already knew that the mutant they fought was Ariel himself, he thought again. The very vision left a stream of perspiration to come down his face.

He reacted by stepping forward once more, but this time it got to the point that he jumped up onto one of the Diner's chairs and leered towards the Senator, with his one free hand being clenched tightly, as if he was squashing a tomato.

"You told them about Ariel's true intentions, have you?" he growled towards the Senator.

"Why should it care if I did or didn't? The fact remains that the boy's in the prophecy, and now that he's destined to follow it, we don't need to worry about a thing!"

"But we had a deal! Even if we didn't get the kid, we were supposed to grab the throne from Ariel and take over the city, leading it into a more glorious leadership!"

"A democracy like that would only make things worse in the long run", replied Cortex as he folded his arms. "Only the boy in the prophecy can provide pure peace to this city and the outside world that follows around it!"

Cortex focused his attention straight to Fletch, leaving him to end up hiding underneath one of the tables, his remaining eye starting to quiver gently among the gentle light underneath. His facial expression suddenly showed that he was prone to shake any second.

Spidey managed to follow suit by crouching underneath the table with him, outstretching one of his hands as he did so, brushing gently upon the back of Fletch's head. The boy was left to turn towards him, his face starting to develop confusion.

"What's he talking about?"

"I think I have an idea on what they're referring to", replied Spidey. "If we get out of this scrap alive, then maybe I'll share the details with you."

"SILENCE!!!"

The shout caused them both to look towards Ripto, or rather, his feet given their current viewpoint. But the viewpoint was soon changed to Blaze, as all of a sudden she was seen rising from the floor by herself.

"Lo and behold, the heir of one of the Samaritans is now under my control", said Ripto with a deep and menacing vocal tone. "You guys will surely perish before you even have a chance to make your move."

Cortex reacted by clenching one of his fists and leering back at the monster again. "Ripto, that's just playing dirty, you-"

"So long, suckers!"

With that, he pointed his rod into the air, allowing a platform of energy to show up above him, leaving him to ascend to the ceiling. At the same time, Fletch and Spidey came out from underneath the table and looked on at Blaze, while the others focused on the orange monster.

"Ripto!" Cortex called out with a snarl. "Come back!"

Jade stepped in front of the Senator, placing one of her hands in front of his eyes. "We don't have time for this. We need to fight!"

Jade pointed towards Blaze, whom at that point was seen standing on two feet. Her eyes were still closed upon standing up, yet as soon as she gained her position she opened them rapidly, showing that her eyes had changed from their regular gold color to a stained copper red.

The glare on her eyes was easily reflected upon the other team members, whom were seen leering back at her. As unfortunate as it sounded for her to end up getting manipulated the way she was, action needed to be taken.

Jade clenched one of her fists tightly, keen to strike. "Let's go!"

She raised her Dai-Jo straight into the air and summoned a bright wave of sky blue shock wave energy around her. She then made her dash towards Blaze and used her staff to strike the cat as much as she could.

After much time passed, the energy between the Dai-Jo and Blaze's body started to become more intense. And all of a sudden, several flickers of fire were seen starting to cover her body, burning stronger over time.

"Watch out, flames coming down!" Jade warned the others with caution.

And with that, a bright wave of red energy was seen coming through the room, causing Jade to raise her stick straight into the air as she waited for the energy to calm down. As soon as it faded, she brought herself onto one knee, using the Dai-Jo to support her.

"I'm on for it! "

From the back of the room came Ratchet, his arms out-stretched as he made his way towards the cat. He withdrew his wrench, twirled it around like a majorette's stick and side-stepped to the left slightly before making his move.

A leap forward and a hop onto the ground left him to come towards Blaze in the matter of seconds. He tried to strike her with his wrench, but she responded by several cartwheels around the lombax himself.

"She's almost too fast to combat! I need backup!"

"How about we try a triangle formation?" Joanna proposed from the sidelines.

Ratchet gave out a zombie-like blink. "A what?"

Ratchet looked on at Joanna with a confused glance, whom responded by bringing out one of her pistols into the open. Cortex soon came next to her, withdrawing his own laser as he made his move.

With a smile showing, he made his way towards the two of them, and altogether they made their way to alternate points around the room, surrounding Blaze as if they were points on an equilateral triangle.

"Let's go!" all three of them exclaimed in unison.

Together, they pointed their weapons – a pistol, a laser gun and an N60 - straight on at the cat, and fired whichever shots would manage to come through. The reaction of the bullets among one another caused a series of electric sparks to show across her body.

They soon became that intense, the room soon managed to get swallowed by an intense glare of white light. The gunners used their other hands to try and shield their eyes as that came to happen.

The light soon faded out, and they placed their hands down, glad to see that the glare was starting to calm down. Yet, expecting to see Blaze struggle, she was still seen standing up, as if the event never happened.

"She seems to be almost invincible to all this!" Cortex retaliated while putting his laser gun away. "What gives?"

"I fear that Ripto's magic is stronger than it sounds!" whimpered Fletch. "This isn't looking good!"

"Leave it to me!"

Sora managed to wade his way through the tables before leaping his way over a series of chairs and making her way towards the cat. He pointed his keyblade straight at her and started his attacks.

This time he was able to strike Blaze's body, but with the way that she was using her arms to protect herself from any significant blows, the amount of damage that he inflicted could be seen to be very minimal.

But before Sora could strike her again, Darkwing was seen making his way near him. But instead of wading through the tables, he attempted to jump over them, only to result in several rolls as he stumbled off them.

"Darkwing, get back here!" Sora called out to him.

"She seemed vulnerable at the back! I swear I can get her back there just like that!"

He then made a leap straight to the walls once more, with his cloak trailing steadily within the calmer areas of the room. That left Sora no choice but to try and retaliate with the keyblade as she tried to attack him.

They clashed long and hard in the following few moments. Yet, it seemed as if it was going to end grimly, as Blaze soon surrounded Sora with herself at a nearby wall. He then growled back as he took a tighter grasp upon his keyblade, ready to attack again.

"Give me strength!"

He made a push onto Blaze, causing her to take several steps back. And then, he pointed his keyblade straight at her, causing a glare of yellow energy to end up showing upon the weapon's tip.

He then launched the attack – a stream of lightning. Blaze retaliated by cart wheeling out of the way again, only to strike an unsuspecting Darkwing in the middle of an aerial kick. It struck him straight on the chest.

"Yeeeargh!" he screeched as if he was being cooked alive.

Several sparks went through his body, as well as the energy causing his body to flash from a regular form to a hand-made x-ray. The shock caused him to end up dropping to the floor, shaking from the impact.

"I told you not to get too close!" growled Sora.

Darkwing looked up at him with his facial expression showing pain. "What else can I do - stand around like a human statue?"

Sora sighed while shaking his head. Though it could be appreciated that Darkwing was trying to help attack Blaze, the thunder attack strike was the price that could be taken for being rash in the heat of battle.

Not long after that, the group tried to make their attacks on her one by one. Fletch tried his best to use whatever powerful attacks from his spear could inflict any damage, with Spidey trying to utilise his web stream into all sorts of combinations.

Ratchet, Joanna and Cortex tried to shoot more bullets as they did before, with Jade continuing to cast magic from her Dai-Jo, Sora utilising his keyblade and Darkwing trying to attack her from behind, but no matter what she was too fast to even take the damage or got too defensive to take any significant damage.

"Great, she can't STILL be standing!" Spidey shouted bitterly. "How are we supposed to bring her down?"

The cat was left to leer at the group a little bit more. She held her hands side by side, causing two sets of fireballs to burn brightly upon her hands, the glow of which flickering easily upon Fletch's remaining eye.

But… before she could do anything, the flames suddenly vanished. Her ear started to twitch, and she then proceeded to make her glance back towards the secured door. She saw the padlock, hanging there calmly within the Diner's current atmosphere.

And with that, she showed a flame upon one of her fingertips. She quickly turned towards the door and launched a shot of fire towards the padlock; once there, it struck it down with ease, causing it to fall off the hinges and the door to slightly open.

"Great!" Ripto cheered from above. "The door's unlocked! I knew the fifth Samaritan wouldn't be too safe in there, wouldn't he now?"

Ripto gave off a cackle as he gently drifted further down towards the ground on his electric platform. All that Fletch could do was watch with a wide-eyed look upon him, leaving him to make his way towards the door.

Several thoughts went through his head as he got into his guarding stance. Who are the Samaritans? Were Blaze and the rest of her team intending to protect "him", whoever it was? And what kind of connection did she have?

"Wolf! Boba!" Ripto brawled towards the door. "Get in there at once and seize him!"

"I don't think we'll let you get away with this!" Jade cried back.

"Taunt all you want, height must surely be your weakness!"

"It's definitely not mine!" Spider-Man shouted cheerfully.

"What?"

Ripto gave off a wide-eyed expression as he tried to hover straight towards the ceiling via his electric platform once again. But Spidey soon managed to catch up by using his web stream to hoist himself straight towards the stone archway.

Once there, he ended up looking upside down, his eyes soon meeting up with Ripto's, the latter showing a fearful expression as he looked on at him. Shaking, he pointed his sceptre straight onto him, ready to make his move.

He fired a wave of bright crimson energy from his sceptre, but Spidey soon reacted by swinging straight underneath the orange monster. He soon held onto the ceiling from the other side, with his arm outstretched, ready to counter.

"Get out of here!"

Before Ripto could attack again, he was instantly taken a hold of by the chest, leaving Spidey to manipulate him to however he pleased. With one of his hands controlling a web stream holding Ripto, he used the other to descend to the floor.

And with as much force as possible, he towed Ripto straight to the floor, landing with a thud among the wooden floor surfaces. Spidey gave off a confident smile as he continued to make further humiliation out of him.

He used the web to tow the creature around like a yo-yo, causing him to get bruises upon his face. Several seconds later, he was left on the floor, getting stuck to the ground with a thicker intake of web substance.

"There we go!" Spidey spoke with a tone of triumph.

"But how do we snap Blaze out of this?" Fletch whimpered at the unlocked door.

"There's only one other option left - the source!"

Spider-Man pointed straight towards Ripto, leaving Fletch to focus upon him. He tried to think back upon how he managed to control his magical energy to control Blaze, and in his mind, an idea struck.

Fletch looked straight towards the floor, and right near Ripto's feet, he managed to see the sceptre that he managed to control Blaze with. Having identified the target, he started to make his walk.

"If you say so..."

Holding tightly onto his spear, he made his way towards the sceptre. As he walked, he tried to send forth a sickle of white light energy towards it, hoping to calm the energy down. All that resulted was the sickle to be reflected and left to strike the ceiling.

He then tried to pick it up, where he felt an eerie feeling of tense energy surround his hand. With a growl, he looked straight back up towards the ceiling, with his hands continuing to shake as time passed.

"Die!"

Without further instinct, he threw the sceptre straight towards the hole in the ceiling, before pointing his spear straight at it. Further sickles shot from them caused them to be rebound further among the surface, unfortunately.

Luckily enough, many of them managed to strike the ceiling, causing more bits of rubble to end up falling down. Several larger planks started to crash down at Fletch's feet, leaving him to show a more cautious look during the event.

Blaze was seen making her jump through some of the falling rubble, trying her best to evade getting hit as well. But there was a larger slab in the middle of the room that soon detached and came crashing down to her at a blistering speed.

"Blaze!" Darkwing exclaimed with concern.

It was all too late. She was instantly struck on the head, causing herself to end up falling towards the ground, screaming with pain. Eventually, the screams stopped, causing her to just collapse to the floor, head first.

Darkwing made his run towards her, showing a concerned glance upon his face as he tried to take a hold of her. He saw upon her head that the amount of bruises that were formed from the fight was starting to develop heavily, leaving him to show a more morbid look than the usual.

As that happened, Fletch stepped towards the rod, which by then had once again fallen to the ground. Feeling anguished that he failed to destroy it he kicked it around the floor and pointed his spear over at Ripto.

"Give it up, Ripto", taunted the boy. "Your days are numbered."

"There's no way you'll say that about myself. What about the true victim of the matter?"

He cackled as he turned towards the door. Fletch paid his attention and saw what happened while he was away from guarding it. The door itself was swung wide open, with only a dim brown light being shown inside it.

The sound of fisticuffs was heard from inside, with several male screams and grunts being head from inside. With his hands shaking slightly, he made his dash straight towards the door, hoping to see what was inside.

But before he could, an intense glow of lilac light formed inside, instantly blinding Fletch in his remaining eye and leaving him to cover it with one of his hands while crouching to the floor. A cold and sickly force started to fill the air, to the point that Cortex was left to get to the ground on all fours, struggling to cope through the energy wave.

"Such... powerful dark magic...!"

Sora soon got affected, clutching his head with his hands. "It almost felt like the same power we felt when you kidnapped Jak back at the Imaginaries...!"

Sora then brought himself down before, feeling uneasy due to the amount of energy that was sent through the building. All that the group could do was try to see their way towards the door and wonder what was going on inside.

And then, the door was kicked open. Out from the room itself, there came two figures with purple cloaks, just like Dimitri, Axel, Praxis and Courtney before them. Once again their faces were obscured by the thick hoods they donned.

"We have the Samaritan, Ripto", informed the smaller one of the two. "We'll be sure to return to the stronghold with this one."

"Excellent, but do it quick before you get fried!"

The taller one looked back towards its master. "Yes sir!"

They made a brief stop towards Ripto and saluted, with the smaller one being able to carry the crystal like a football as he did so. A couple of seconds passed, and then he took a tight grasp upon the crystal with both hands before running again.

Ripto soon made his following by using the electric platform he rode upon to travel with the two purple cloaked figures. Though Fletch looked as if he didn't have a clue to what was going on, he knew that they couldn't escape from their escapade inside the Diner.

"Get back here!"

He made his way outside, where he saw Ripto and his henchmen making their way up the slope towards the plaza. With his hands shaking moderately, he made his dash straight towards them, trying to catch up with every stride.

But before he could even do anything, an intense red and purple shield shone around Ripto and the henchmen. He tried to pierce his spear through the shields nonetheless, but the point was bounced off the edge like a thimble on jelly.

Fletch was left to rebound and fall upon his back, as he saw Ripto and his henchmen vanish inside the shields, leaving nothing but an empty space where they once ran. All that the boy could do was sighing as he sat up.

"I don't understand what they were doing, but this doesn't sound too good", he said with his voice trailing off suddenly. "Wait a minute-!!"

His eyes widened, as he thought back towards Blaze's purpose on guarding the door. With her around, and the attacks on HQ, he instantly thought about whom that "Samaritan" was, his face draining white with panic.

"_FOX!!!_"

With a gasp, he started to make his run straight back towards the Diner, being careful to keep his hat on and maintain his footing at the same time. As soon as he reached the door, he leapt over the ruins that were left behind and made his way towards the door to the room of mirrors.

He started to search through the fallen mirrors, trying to find any trace of Fox. He almost gave up hope by the time he reached some mirrors near the back windows, when a hand touched his shoulder. He turned around, and there he was.

Fox McCloud was safe and sound.

"Fox!" Fletch started to cry with happiness. "You're okay!"

"I certainly am", he replied while placing his arm around the boy's neck. "Wolf and Boba overpowered us almost completely. I don't know how they fought like that, but regardless of what happened they succeeded in their capturing plot here. We're really sorry."

Fletch looked up at Fox, their expressions both looking moderately grim. "Capturing?"

Fletch looked confused. It seemed as if Fox wasn't the Samaritan in question. That left him to look around the room, trying to see if there was anything more unusual relating to his current surroundings.

All of a sudden, Darkwing's chest started to glow from green to purple. He took out the source of the glow from his coat – Spyro's copy of Ariel's Emblem. And there, he saw the green and purple glow surrounding it, followed by a pair of menacing eyes, fading as quickly as it came. Fletch paid witness to it, and very quickly he knew what it meant.

Spyro the Dragon was the Samaritan in question.

"Spyro!" Fletch gasped deeply. "Not you too!"

Having understood what happened, he ended up bringing himself down onto all fours, lowering his head onto the cold floor below. Darkwing looked on at him, placed the emblem back in his pockets and crouched down next to the boy.

"It's…" he paused while showing a shaken voice tone. "It's my fault! I failed you guys when you were in trouble. What kind of noble figure am I to cope with that?"

Fox came and stepped over him, his shadow covering the boy's head. "Fletch, calm down. You managed to do your best. And we are very grateful on your input in driving Ripto and his henchmen away. You haven't failed at all."

Fletch looked up from his position, and saw Fox crouching down in front of him. He was seen placing his hand gently upon his cheeks, stroking gently and trying to calm his nerves. The boy reacted with a light blink.

"You were a very big favor to us", said Fox in a gentle brotherly tone. "Trust me."

Fletch looked down gently, at the rest of his body, and then his spear. The thought crept to him – without his presence in the city, things could have ended up being so much worse than they were. He gave off a light sigh and turned back towards Fox.

"I suppose you're right", Fletch replied quietly.

Darkwing smiled back at him and gave Fletch a light embrace as he stood up on two feet once more. Yet, that didn't change his perplexed expression. His eyes focused around the room, upon the windows, and then back towards his comrades.

"But…" he recomposed himself. "What would Ripto want with Spyro? And what's all this about him pairing up with Senator Cortex? This is confusing!"

"Spidey walked towards him from the right, outstretching his arm as he did so. "I know this is so much to take in right now, but maybe we should stick around for the night and see if we can get our bearings together."

Spider-Man went towards him and placed his arm around Fletch's neck, causing the boy to look on at him and gave off a light blink. His partner showed a thumbs up gesture from his hand, as if to say "trust me; I'm a comic strip character".

"Okay, Spidey", Fletch accepted. "But even though, I seem to feel more insecure than the usual, and it's not just homesickness this time."

"You'll be okay."

With further confusion, Fletch placed his hands around Spidey, trying to take in the complete change of events going on around him. There, they soon walked out of the diner together; ready to embrace the evening light once more.

From outside one of the buildings across the street, Coco was seen making her walk, her face looking just as shaken thanks to the assault on the diner. She gave off a cautious blink before paying attention to Fletch and his group.

With a light smile, she opened the door of the building that she came out from, leaving them all to make their way inside. It was then known amongst the group that that was where their lodgings would be for the night.

---

Several hours passed. Fletch tried his best to sleep that night, yet in spite of being in a more comfortable position than the previous few nights, he was seen tossing and turning, with his own thoughts taking over his mind.

_"I don't get this... the Samaritans? Heirs? Rivalry to Ariel's throne?"_

He turned towards one side, trying to think less of the thoughts that came around him. Yet in spite of that, he barely felt drowsy. His heart was pumping at the same speed as an Olympic athlete, and several strands of sweat were coming down his forehead.

_"All I came here for was the chance to reclaim Han and Akumi, but now I've gone for almost a week without them."_

Thinking more about his friend and sister, he ended up turning towards the other side of the bed, where he saw Darkwing and Ratchet snoozing together. Whichever one was actually the snoring one was anyone's guess.

_"What can actually be going wrong? And what kind of figure am I a prophecy of?"_

His lip continued to quiver as he tried to lie upon his back. Yet all that did was exposing the entirety of his head into the moonlight outside. A faint glare of teal was seen creeping across him from the shoulders up.

_"I just wish this isn't leading to anything too crucial, otherwise I doubt I'd get out of this place alive."_

He finally resorted with pulling the bed covers over his head. It seemed like it was a good idea thanks to him being still for several seconds, yet after that, he continued to shake with fear once more.

---

Day 5

_Coco's Diner, Rosemary Fields District - 11:50AM_

In spite of the sun being almost close enough to signal lunch time, Fletch and the others ended up settling for a late breakfast. Most of them were keen, with Fox, Darkwing and Ratchet fighting against each other for the waffles layered out and Jade and Joanna taking their time with their grapefruit and coffee.

Fletch tried his best to consume his croissants, but the thoughts from the night before remained deep within his mind. He was, however, given some comfort from Sora, whom managed to help him consume at least one of the set that was layered out in front of him.

Spidey, Coco, Bill, Ted, Cortex and the members of Scarlet Wolf that were currently with the team were within the room of mirrors. This time, one of the mirrors had a cloth pulled over it, resting Blaze upon it. She had barely moved from the attacks from the previous night.

It was until then, when her hand started to stir.

"She's coming to!" Courtney exclaimed from one side of the mirror. "I just hope she hasn't faced too many concussions on the attacks from last night."

"I hope not", nodded Axel. "To see that fight has almost changed my mind completely about the Scarlet Wolf team as it currently stands."

With a growl, Axel ended up making his way towards the door, trying his best to control any fire that was seen burning within him. All it caused was an ember that only just missed Ratchet's tail, causing the lombax's eyes to widen.

That caused the group around the breakfast table to make their way straight towards the room of mirrors. They all surrounded Blaze, whom finally was able to sit up from her position and look on at the others. Her eyes, though they looked confused, were restored to their regular gold color.

"What..." she tried to speak. "What are you all doing here?"

Fletch brought his hands out, gesturing and speaking at the same time. "Blaze, we saw what happened to you last night. You were really worse for wear."

The cat's expression became more sorrowful. "I know."

She looked down with regret showing upon her eyes, as if she paid witness to a grave event. Yet, her words ended up creeping steadily within Fletch's mind, causing him to take a step forward and point his head towards her.

"You... know?"

"But I thought that Ripto took possession of you, dude!" Bill commented while flicking his wrists.

"He did", Blaze replied, "but I was still able to see everything so clearly."

She gave off an anguished sigh as she brought her arms onto the cloth and pushed herself onto the floor. Carefully yet certainly, she ended up walking among the floor, though there was a stagger in her footsteps.

And then, she made another casual step, this time she managed to turn around towards the others, expressing a wide-eyed glare upon the rest of the team around her. She then brought out her hands, ready to speak again.

"See, this is something that I should have mentioned sooner - the legend of the Seven Samaritans of Theoropolis."

"Seven... 'Black-Sabbath-ans'?" Ted asked, mishearing Blaze's statement.

"I was waiting for an explanation on this", Fletch spoke with a more determined tone. "What's going on?"

Blaze walked back towards the cloth-covered mirror and sat herself down onto it. Once there, she looked straight on at the rest of the team around her, her eyes slowly twitching and her tail steadily moving from one direction to another.

"Many eons before Ariel even came to power" she began to lecture, "the city was watched over by seven Samaritans of separate states of the city. They have been experienced on a common platform between them, and have held enough power to govern the city themselves though not to the point of a complete democracy."

The majority of the group nodded along to her words, leaving them to look straight on at her, wanting to know more about the Samaritans. Fletch showed a light blink, still wondering why they haven't been fully emphasized up until now.

As that happened, Blaze ended up kneeling up from her position on the mirror. This time, she placed a hand to her chest, trying to feel for something. She then placed both feet on the floor again, focusing on the rest of the group.

"They all wore these green emblems around their neck, to show that they are. Those that followed them wore red ones."

She then placed one of her hands upon her collar, revealing a gold chain inside it – similar to chains held by Axel and Praxis, except it was significantly smaller. And just like them, there was a gem inside it – a red one, nonetheless.

"So that's why you refused to tell Ripto anything", Fletch spoke with a breezy tone filled with wonder. "But what's going on with this whole Samaritan business anyway?"

"The only way to truly govern the world is to bring them all together and harness enough power to affect not only the city but the outside world too", Blaze explained with her voice quivering once again. "That's why that idea has been a separate existence and lesser knowledge among the lower rank Theoropolis citizens. But now that it's coming to light, Ariel's been on the way to seek them for himself. As far as I know he ended up taking Crash Bandicoot, but as we saw from Cortex defending three of the others from him, it could still be anyone's prize. Even now I feel insecure over assisting those just learning the myth, if only in danger of what either Ripto or Ariel could do next."

She lowered her head once again, knowing for sure that she could be in an insecure place to end up assisting anyone in spite of her rank within the city. With a light twitch of the nose, Fletch came to her and stroked her gently on the back.

As he did that, he thought carefully about Blaze's words – how could seven special personnel around the city be powerful enough to cause unstable power being unleashed when they all come together, he thought to himself.

"So let me get this straight. Ripto's going around looking for seven people with green emblems, wanting to dominate the city. And he might have used Cortex while he was at it?"

The Senator growled at Fletch's direction, his gums clearly showing. "I said we were a team!"

"Ahem, sorry."

Cortex retaliated by bringing out his laser in haste. There, Fletch took cover behind a mirror, worried that he'd fire. A pull of the trigger happened… and nothing came out. It might have been emptied from the battle they faced, the boy thought.

As the Senator ended up shaking his fists with frustration and sitting upon one of the upturned mirrors, Fletch re-emerged and brought himself back amongst the crowd of people, determined to find more answers.

"I think I seem close, but how are we supposed to stop this from happening? And what does this have to do with totally annihilating Ariel though?"

"That's the point", Blaze replied while looking on at the boy. "When he has all this power, he can completely overthrow both Ariel and the Senate and look over the city himself."

"I wouldn't be surprised after what I've seen from Ariel recently", Cortex sighed troublingly.

The group then all turned towards Cortex, whom by now showed a very grim expression. Fletch thought hard about his words from the John Moors district – witnessing his deeds from the first hand must have been very difficult for him.

"But I'm more concerned about my position in the Senate - what if the Chancellor decides to throw me off and replace me with someone more truant?"

His face started to express frustration. His fists shook gently, and then he made his way towards the window, bashing his head several times against it. On the last rebound, he struck the back of his head and slid down towards the floor.

"I can't believe I'm having worse luck than black cats under a ladder."

"Don't worry about it", reassured Fox from a nearby mirror. "I'll keep feeding as much news as possible to Senator Hare. We'll do everything we can to clear your name."

"You will?"

Cortex looked up, and saw Fox stepping over him. His tail was seen waving around gently, and his facial expression showed a confident glare upon it. He extended his hand, with all of his digits being spread out amongst one another.

The senator brought his hand towards his, and it was there that Fox towed him straight up. He looked closer into his eyes – there was something about his clover green eyes that could tell him that he meant business.

Fox placed his hand around Cortex's shoulders, the touch being soft enough to be able to make them look towards each others' eyes, as if one was in need of help and the other was a brotherly figure.

"Thanks… Fox."

Fox gave off a smile back towards the Senator, whom continued to look onto his eyes with a ray of light starting to show itself upon their minds. They then released their grip on each other and walked back towards the crowd.

Fox managed to make his way towards Coco, whom was seen standing near the doorway, holding a frying pan and a bar of soap. As soon as he came to her, she instantly turned towards him.

"Coco, you don't mind if we use the warehouses of your diner as a new HQ after Blaze's Tailors got demolished?"

Coco looked down insecurely. "I feel tentative over this. But I'll see if I can let you try it out."

She gave off a shaky sigh, knowing for sure that that could be the day that could see her diner completely change. She then gave off a deep sigh and made a walk back to the main room, going back to her duties.

As soon as she vanished out of view, Fox made his turn towards Fletch, whom by then was seen sitting on an upturned mirror and scraping his feet upon the floor. He came to the boy and sat down with him.

"Fletch, I advise you to keep going on your journey and keep looking around for other potential Samaritans. So far we've learnt that five have been lost, and it won't be long until the other two are brought together at this rate."

Fletch looked straight up at Fox, his remaining eye glowing in the light. "I will."

The boy gave off a semi-enthusiastic salute, jumped off the upturned mirror and firmly settled his feet upon the ground. He then looked on at his companions individually, one by one – Sora, Darkwing, Jade, Spider-Man, Ratchet and Joanna.

He gave off a whistle and ushered them towards the door, leaving them to follow him and make their way outside. As soon as they did so, they instantly vanished in the intense sunlight that was seen from the diner's main room.

All the remaining personnel stood near the door and looked on. Though they have seen that Fletch has faced a new purpose in his venture by tracing Samaritans to stop any further city corruption, everything would still remain the same as far as the amount of danger involved is concerned.

---

The group soon managed to reach the barrier that lead towards the White Dragonfly district. Once there, Darkwing went into his pockets and pulled out both emblems at the same time, in order to pass through the barrier.

By that time, the dragonflies were back to their duty as acting like street lamps around their immediate surroundings. Yet thanks to the purple cloud still floating around the ruins of Blaze's Tailors, many of them glowed more melancholy colors than the usual.

Even passing by the building, Fletch's attitude suddenly changed from his usual adventurous stance towards a tenser one. Shaking his hand, he ended up taking a grasp hand onto one of Sora's for reassurance.

"I just can't believe we're towed into this mess", Fletch sighed.

Sora looked down with a concerned look. "Fletch? Is there something wrong?"

The boy looked on at the key bearer, then at Blaze's tailors, then at the two emblems that Darkwing was holding in his hand. By that time he was seen putting them away on the hope that they may not be needed any time soon.

"I would easily say so", Fletch replied. "If these green stones are emblems of the Samaritans, why didn't anyone tell us before?"

"Maybe they didn't want to tell anyone", said Jade with a slightly less optimistic tone. "Or even if they did, they've either been sworn to complete secrecy, or kept quiet out of fear of Ariel, just like Blaze said."

Fletch and Sora, though they didn't have the expressions to agree, both nodded in unison. For them, it seemed like a bigger mystery that could take a longer time to unravel than finding out the truth behind Ariel.

"I still can't believe that Spyro has become a victim of this though", Sora responded semi-bitterly. "But still, we're just easily determined to make sure that we will restore order around here. By getting the other two Samaritans on our side, we will easily stop Ripto from taking over this place, and that will give us more time to track down Ariel and confront him."

In a pinch, Sora ended up punching the air, his expression starting to show a more light-hearted stance upon him. But in spite of the burning determination, some of the others around him looked puzzled.

"What I don't get is how Ripto's expected to gather all the Samaritans together", blinked Darkwing. "If Senator Cortex spoke the truth with Crash being in Ariel's hands, how is he expected to rule the city with not all of the Samaritans together?"

Ratchet took a side step towards the duck and clicked one of his fingers. "While not quite at the maximum power, six active Samaritans still sounds like a lot of power to harness. You never can tell with a sorcerer like him."

Ratchet gave off a hesitant blink and looked on towards Darkwing. After what they saw at the diner last night, it can easily be agreed that Ripto is very powerful to tackle head on. But as far as Fletch was concerned, his face showed a similar puzzled look, yet by the way he was looking up at the sky, there was a different purpose.

"I just wish I knew why some people see Ariel as a figure that changed the city, or a figure that just completely spoilt it. I mean, Ripto purely wants to annihilate him. But even if we do stop him, how will we find out what Ariel's really like? And why is he some sort of mutated monster?"

"That reminds me", said Spidey with regret. "We were too busy last night for me to tell you more about him. I promise I'll explain more on our journey."

Fletch nodded with a lightly determined look, knowing that he might get answers. But it didn't take long for the expression to drop, as he ended up stopping at the same crossroads that separated him from the Green Goomba, John Moors and the Yellow Echidna Districts.

"But..." Fletch started to twitch his feet. "Where are we supposed to go? Blaze didn't tell us anything about who the other two Samaritans are."

He looked upon the others. They all looked as puzzled as each other – unlike the spear, which could easily detect Ariel... there was no sign of any indication of ease when it comes to tracing any Samaritans.

"Hey!"

Fletch turned towards the sound of the voice. "Wait, that's Praxis!"

Fletch looked towards the south, and saw the district barrier getting opened up in the distance. And true to his word, he saw Praxis making his way across the district, trying to run as fast as he could.

By the time he finally managed to catch up with Fletch, he ended up coming to a complete stop, placing his hands on his knees, bending down and gasping for breath. As soon as he found room to speak again, he raised his head and looked at the boy.

"Fletch! I know you're about to traverse the city again but I have something for you."

Fletch brought his eyes straight towards Praxis's chain, making eye contact with the red gem that was etched into it. "Let me guess, it's about the Samaritans, right?"

Praxis took a tight grasp upon the emblem for himself, and gave off a light nod. It was a sign of confirmation – just like Blaze, he too was a Samaritan Heir, though his reaction to the subject manner looked more optimistic given his facial expression.

"I saw that Blaze was too afraid to guide you to another Samaritan, and I just couldn't leave you without a direction. So I will easily point you to the pizza shack at the Green Goomba district. One of your goals should be right there."

Fletch nodded with a broad grin starting to show on his face. "Got it, thanks."

And so, they all turned towards the west, where they saw a passageway with several interlinking green pipes going all around it. According to the signposts around the area, that could be the way forward.

Fletch took a step forward, and saw that the pipes extended into a significantly darker area of the district. His face showed fear, leaving him to turn back towards Praxis… only to see him making his way back the way he came.

"Please give Mario my best wishes!" he shouted as he ran back towards the southern barrier. "I know he needs it!"

Fletch's eye started to twitch. "...Mario?"

Fletch thought carefully. Surely that name sounded familiar, he thought to himself. And then, it finally struck him – he was told back at the Imaginarium that he was the Guardian before he resigned his post to Jak.

He looked straight towards the other group members, knowing that if he has some link to the Samaritans, then it had to be worth the visit. But as far as last night was concerned, it may not be an easy task.

"I just hope that the remains of Scarlet Wolf don't get there first", he spoke with moderate tension. "Let's head on out!"

And so, Fletch pointed straight on towards the dark passageway towards the Green Goomba district. Altogether, they made their walk below the green inter-linking pipes, ready to witness what was ahead.

They faced a corner to the left, and right ahead of them, another district barrier was seen. Darkwing had problems trying to detect the emblems to pass the door, to the point that they ended up dropping by his feet.

Regardless, they both managed to light up upon touching the floor, leaving him to take a hold of them and utilise them against the barrier. It opened up, leaving the group to pass through to the next area.

A dark cloud was seen showing itself ahead, ready to signal a sudden change of weather as they would continue their journey, Regardless of what happened, they have a mission to stick by and clear in addition to tracing the missing personnel.

No one knows what Mario would do to help them. Yet, it'll be by tracing his pizza shack that would be the key to the next phase in their journey.

_-end of chapter-_


	12. An Unspoken Prophecy

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Sheesh, I was really hoping for a new reader or two with this. Am I losing my touch with this fanfic malarky? Is there anything else I need to do to get this noticed?

I don't even want to waste my opening blurbs acting like an emo-maniac, because that's not what I want to do. For now, I might as well move onto getting some details down for the next chapter.

Apparently, what we learnt from the last chapter was that there are a bunch of Samaritans that are responsible for the protection of the city and have been kept a secret to the point that Emperor Ariel won't even compare to them when it comes to the general influences of them around the city. With five of them vanishing from the city, it's a race against time for Fletch and his group to guard the final two.

This chapter also marks the final set of character introductions, in the form of Nintendo mascot Mario and Pikachu from the Pokemon series. Mario did get some brief mentions in prior chapters, but here's where he starts to get his chance to shine through his assistances for Fletch somewhere in the second half. Pikachu may not get much development as a character, but I seem to see him as one of those worthwhile tag partners that could help well when someone gets into trouble. I'll explain more in a later chapter, though.

Anyway, I hope this goes down better. Thanks anyways if anyone even wants to see this O.O

Peace out,

-Rexy-_

* * *

_

_Several days passed since Akumi told me the truth about her past. That guttural feeling that I had from her telling me about her being an adopted child remained in my stomach like a bad flu virus that is untreatable._

_Not even visiting Han's house a lot more upon his return from his stay at his grandpa's house wasn't that much of a help, though he did at least put in a solid effort to try and calm me down with whatever words he had._

_It didn't take me long to actually mention the cause of my nerves and worries – everything from the talk with Akumi that rainy day. He leant forward and observed my words with open ears, ready to sense my feelings when appropriate._

"_I can't believe she told me that", I continued to reminisce._

_As soon as I finished speaking, I placed my hands upon my cheeks and my elbows upon my lap, leaning forward as if I was looking gloomily out of a window. It felt so painful telling Han everything all over again._

_Having noticed my expression, he placed his hand upon my back and gave me a light rub. I do appreciate the sweet touch he managed to do, but how is this going to help me out with coping with a sibling that's not even blood related?_

"_Now I'm going to be seeing one aspect of my childhood life as a complete lie", I quivered with concern. "I always thought that even though she was mentally retarded, we both were blood relatives."_

_I sighed and stood up, pacing myself around the room as I did so. My feet gently scraped themselves upon the floor, almost trying to tear away some aspects of the gritty carpet I stood upon._

_Finally, I ended up placing my back on the wall and slid straight to the floor, my hat almost falling off in the process. I then focused my attention to Han, hoping that he'll at least come forth with a vocal response to my problem._

"_How am I supposed to cope with this?" I asked him with a higher pitched voice tone than the usual._

"_I know how you feel."_

_He walked towards me, turned around when he faced the wall, and carefully sat down with me. He looked at me as if he was some kind of elder brother – I could feel the link in his eyes and everything._

_He then took a hold of his hat and took it off, showing a head full of scruffy blonde hair. He placed the hat down and took a closer glance towards me, as if he wanted to share some of his own experiences on the matter._

"_This is how I feel when I get shut away from any sense of existence that my father might even have. My mother is concerned that he left and killed himself, but I'm not too sure about that."_

_He blinked and looked straight down, thinking so much about his own predicament. I'm sure that we faced a bit of trauma between us, with me knowing that Akumi was adopted and Han having never met his own father._

_He turned towards the ceiling, and then at me. It seemed as if the whole thing relating to his father was a bad omen to him. Having seen him pay attention to my concerns with Akumi, it was my turn to help him out._

"_You mentioned your father", I started to remark. "Is there anything else you knew about him other than that?"_

"_I don't know."_

_He sighed and then looked back up at the ceiling. I felt sad to see him being unable to know his own father or anything. But he still had the confidence to turn and look over at me, hoping to express more of his feelings._

"_But I would be proud to have an adopted sibling than none at all."_

_I couldn't help but lean my head forward as he said that. "Why?"_

"_People respect people for who they are, not by their blood. So I am sure that you came to protect her thick and thin, even if she could get off-beat at times."_

_I couldn't help but laugh at his comment. It was true that Akumi can get a little bit overboard at the wrong time at the wrong place. She could laugh at the weakest slapstick jokes on TV. She could cry at the smallest pinch on her arm. She could even fume for burning her own toast._

_Thinking so hard about her character traits has made me come to the conclusion that she was a great source of life and energy in spite of her being an adopted and mentally disabled child at the same time._

"_Maybe it IS true that we respect people by being around them", I said with a happier expression._

_And so, we extended our arms and took a hold of each other on the shoulders. It was absolutely incredible that we got together and discussed our own problems, and with that, I felt relieved that I got my concerns for Akumi off my chest; hopefully so did Han with his concerns for his father._

"_Come on, mother showed me something in the attic today", Han started to usher all of a sudden. "I jumped at the chance to see all this, and I hope you enjoy it too!"_

_He ended up taking my hand, and rushed me straight upstairs. I noticed on my way up how his mother could survive as a cripple in a two storey house, thanks to the use of risible platforms going up and down the stairs, as well as identifiable paths along the lower floor._

_As soon as we got upstairs, he pointed straight towards another part of the hallway – another risible platform, yet this time it extended itself straight towards a door higher up. We both got onto it, Han activated the switch, and he stepped through the door as soon as the platform reached the top._

"_Take a look now!"_

_The door was left for me to go through. I took a step inside, yet all I could see was darkness. Han then decided to close the door behind me, take a hold of a nearby chord and light up the room with degraded 1980s ceiling lamps._

"_Wow!" I screamed as if it was Christmas already._

_Right in front of me were dozens and dozens of paintings. I gasped at the sight of them all – they all looked so beautiful and elegant, and I never thought I could see so much attention to detail paid on such thin canvases._

"_I never thought I'd see all these paintings placed in such a small room like this!" I shouted towards Han. "How is it possible?"_

"_I don't know, but no matter what, these are the works of my father."_

"_Do you suppose your mother was selling these to pay for your living expenses?"_

_Han looked at me with a light blink. His face then suddenly started to turn pink as he looked on at some of the paintings, and then he made his walk towards a select bunch near the back of the loft._

_He pointed out a series of pricing tags that were placed among some of them. I took a closer look at them, and it was there that I saw that they were valued for at least $400 a piece. I never thought he'd be worth so much._

"_It sounds cruel, I know", Han sighed while looking down, "but if this is the only means I can get to know my father's influence in the world, it's worth it."_

_Han looked at me and gave out a smile. Though it was nice to see something relating to his father in the house in general, at least it was better than having lost all contact with him whatsoever. It felt so sweet._

_With that, we walked out from the loft, got back onto the platform and made our way straight back to the landing via the risible platform. My mind then focused on Akumi – she may be a little bit awkward when it comes to talking with her, but all curses seem to come with a gift._

"_You know, Akumi might even follow in his footsteps", I started sharing my feelings with Han. "She can draw pretty well for her age."_

_I looked on at the landing window, and saw our own house from nearby. I could imagine what could be happening back home right now – Akumi sitting in her room, leaning over a desktop and drawing to her heart's content._

"_And yet, even if she is adopted and we aren't related by blood", I said while looking at my own smile through the window reflection, "I still treat her as a very close sibling at heart."_

_Han looked at me as if to say "now we're talking", and patted me on the back as if I was a star sports player. I gave off a broad smile towards him before taking a hold of the stair rail and pacing myself downstairs._

_Several hours passed, and it was during that time that our attitudes started to turn significantly more positive, as if our troubles were left behind for a short period of time. Every moment that I treasured with Han was precious to me._

_And then, it was time to go home. The sun was setting over the nearby hills to the west, and the shadows among the street were only just extending. Yet in spite of the coming darkness, I really wanted to share my expressions, physically and spiritually._

* * *

Day 5

_An unknown dungeon, 2:15PM_

The entire city was cast over with a radiant afternoon light among the Eastern regions, and a coming rainstorm in the West. A delicate imbalance of nature could only spell a bad omen starting to creep among the city.

It didn't bother Ripto too much, as he went through an underground dungeon carrying a purple crystal on one hand and his sceptre in another. A large pedestal was seen nearby, as were a series of glass containers.

Once he was there, he placed the crystal straight onto the pedestal. Several seconds later, several sparks of purple energy were seen crackling down onto it, causing it to flash several shades of bright colors.

"You're mine, dragon!"

The sparks were seen continuing to one of the glass containers nearby. A brief holographic image of Spyro's head was seen amongst the flashing lights, flickering like a degraded light-bulb.

And then, the light stopped. It resulted with seeing the dragon himself trapped inside one of the glass tubes, floating inside it and being completely motionless. Ripto looked on at the other glass containers, and paid witness to three other figures doing exactly the same thing, two of which easily being recognisable as Rayman and Guardian Jak.

"Four Samaritans down, three to find", he spoke with a sinister and deep tone. "And where should I be able to track down the others at a time like this?"

"Perhaps you need a hand, shorty", spoke a distant voice.

"'Shorty'?" Ripto growled as he started to turn 180 degrees on the spot. "What kind of rogue wants to combat me at a time like-"

Just as he looked on towards the darkness, he saw a figure starting to creep into the darkness – a demon-like figure. It ended up taking several strides before making its way straight towards Ripto.

It showed itself in the light in due time, revealing its stance piece by piece, or should it be said, revealing _her_ stance piece by piece. Etna was seen making her way inside the premises.

Ripto looked on at her, his eyes showing a sign of surprise all around him. With a light blink, he ended up taking a step forward, looking up at her and her flat chest in all of its glory.

"Oh… Etna", he recognised her. "It's you."

"Damn straight", she remarked with a wide grin. "I heard that you need a hand on getting some of the other Samaritans. You and I know well that one of them won't be easy considering that Ariel has him."

"I know that. I was hoping that Senator Cortex would help me with him specifically, but his recent videogame work must have toned him down significantly."

Ripto ended up lowering his head as he looked on at another part of the area. Several cave drawings of a human stick figure – presumed to be Cortex himself – tugging a crystal with a bandicoot stick figure – presumed to be Crash – were seen in multiple variations all over the dungeon walls.

He lowered his head again as he looked on at Etna. Not long after that, he turned around and made his way towards the pedestal and the glass tubes. There were enough to host all seven Samaritans, yet in spite of that, his face suddenly dropped.

"There has to be another way to get to Crash", he spoke while shaking his fists. "I won't give up that easy!"

"Let's get to the current situation", Etna started to reassure him. "We'll focus on seeking the other two out in the city. Hopefully in due time I will be able to locate anyone that stands in our way and see if we can all tackle this one together."

Etna brought her hand into a victory sign, signalling that she was destined to go far with her own ideals. Ripto tried to think so much about her plans, and tried to wonder if her logic would come to heart.

He looked on at his own sceptre, his reflection glowing among the ruby that was etched right inside it. And with the glow flickering gently among his eyes, he looked on at her with a more confident glare.

"That's not a bad idea. I like your thinking, Etna."

"Thank you", she responded with gratitude. "And I would prefer it if you refer to me as 'Beauty Queen' Etna."

"Whatever, lady."

Etna couldn't help but smirk at Ripto's stern look as he spoke back at her. With that expression held, she decided to skip her way through the dark passage that she came from in the first place.

"Remember to utilise Han to his full potential!" Ripto commanded her. "We'll need him for the later stages of the overthrowing!"

"I'm on it!"

She turned back and gave back a seductive salute, twitching her wings and tail gracefully as she did that. And just like that, she ran further and further into the darkness, until she could no longer be seen.

Ripto looked on ahead, took a hold of his purple cloak and gave out a moderate sigh. He looked upon one of the walls, and saw another set of wall drawings, this time seeing several crude drawings of Han fighting against various shadow monsters.

"That lad doesn't even know what he's bargained for. And it's a shame that he could even be my eternal prisoner if it all goes down well."

His look suddenly became more melancholic, as he thought about the methods of how Han was doing upon working for him. But too suddenly, his expression started to become more maniacal.

"Eh, what should I care? I need a chef anyway!"

With that remark, he gave off a sinister cackle, echoing right across his surroundings. The walls were seen shaking and having various rocks and pebbles breaking free from the surface, and the floor had debris being picked up by the wind.

He turned back, and he focused his attention on the remaining glass containers. He soon made a brief walk towards them, focusing hard upon the three of them, their reflection starting to show in his eyes.

And as soon as he got there he pressed his hands onto them. How he would be able to tackle finding the occupants for the containers would only remain solely inside his mind for the time being.

* * *

The rains started to hurl down within the Green Goomba district. The waters that came down trickled gently along the pipes; they then landed in larger puddles among the tarmac floor, forming a series of splashes among their immediate area.

Nearby, Fletch and the group were seen making their walk through the district, looking all over for any sets of buildings anywhere. All that they were able to detect in their strides were warehouse upon warehouse.

Near the back of the group, Joanna started to feel tense. She started to clinch one of her fists tightly, shaking it and gritting her teeth. And with that, she took several further strides forward, looking back at the rest of the team.

"We've walked around this district for ages and I can't see a pizza shack anywhere", she sighed with rage.

"Do you suppose Baron Praxis could be just as deceitful as Dimitri?" Jade asked her.

"How can we doubt such thoughts at a time like this?" Darkwing remarked with a laid-back glance. "For some reason, he's an heir of one of the Samaritans; do we really expect these guys to lie out of spite for what we're doing?"

Darkwing placed his hands behind his back, assuming that Praxis could be trusted. But the rest of the group weren't looking too concerned. Even Ratchet and Sora looked among one another, exchanging concerned blinks back at one another.

"Now that I think about it", the lombax began, "adding up that Blaze didn't tell us anything, is this kind of cryptic clue attitude something we would associate with these citizens?"

"Beats me", replied Sora. "I don't think many of us have been aware of this Samaritan legend up to now."

Spidey soon stopped in his tracks and placed a hand on his chin. "Perhaps I can finally bring forth my explanation now."

Spidey looked ahead, and he ended up seeing an abandoned warehouse in the distance. Having noticed it, he immediately took a hold of Fletch's hand and towed him straight towards the building.

And once there, he went towards the door and kicked it open, knocking it off its hinges. He then towed Fletch towards the middle of the empty room that was ahead; once they stopped, the boy looked upon him with a concerned glare.

"Spidey?"

"I know I would rather do this in a place that we'd be less exposed in, but it's better now than later."

He then brought his hand into the air, causing a web stream to shoot up straight to the ceiling. Once attached, he launched himself up, and took a hold upon a nearby decaying light bulb – decaying to the point that there was a cut shown upon the glass surface.

He turned on a switch nearby it, causing a spotlight to end up showing upon the wall. All that Fletch could do at that point was blink further, wondering exactly what Spidey was doing with the light bulb.

He then went into his pocket, and pulled out a series of images on film slides. He tested the spotlight out by placing a simple image of a cel-shaded spider through the spotlight; it showed up as clear as day among the wall. With that in mind, he knew that he was ready to tell his story.

* * *

The first slide that was shown amongst the wall showed an image of Spider-Man posing among six other comic book characters – Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Captain America and the Hulk.

"It was the comic book boom of the 1960s and I, among other comic book heroes, was a Samaritan of the town back then."

The following slide showed an image of what was now the White Dragonfly District getting overcrowded by all sorts of personnel looking for work, ranging from humans to various species of monsters.

"The growth of the genre eventually led to a heavy amount of in-comic character deaths and departures – much more so than what has been now."

Another image followed on, this time showing some of those personnel from the preceding photo collapsed on the floor after doing heavy labour, or looking severely worse for wear in spite of the job they had.

"Living conditions in this city were painful."

That was followed by a photo of the Seven Samaritans at the time standing on the lookout spot of a tall building, looking straight over the city. A bright white star can be seen above them all.

"So all seven of us Samaritans got together and pleaded on the top of the Imaginarium tower, wishing for a savior to come to the city and save us all."

The next image showed all the Samaritans on their knees, their heads lowered and their hands together as if in prayer, pleading towards the bright star. At that time, it started to glow as their wishes were heard.

"And a prophecy was born."

_When the time has come to night,_

_Down would come a creation of heart._

_He'll therefore grow up and bring light_

_And give this town a brand new start._

The image that followed had Spider-Man holding a bundle within his arms. It was covered in dense white cloths, and had a bean-like shape towards it. His face looked surprised at the sight of it.

"And in our hands came a baby. How we were to utilise him in a world like this was of grave concern to us."

The penultimate slide showed him running through the woodlands outside the city, with the baby still in his hands. His strides were seen to be very wide as he made his dash through the surroundings.

"Eventually, he was taken into the outside world to live among the population there. And when the time was right, he would make his way towards the city and do his deed."

The final slide showed the clothed bundle placed among a basket, on the doorstep of a house in the outside world. Spidey's shadow was seen amongst it, fading out as if he was returning back to the city.

* * *

As the final slide was shown, the light bulb started to give way and explode near Spidey, causing him to react by quickly putting the photos away and swinging his way straight back towards the floor.

Fletch looked on at him with a blink, his remaining eye showing that he was amazed with the tale that was told amongst the wall. With a smile, he reached his hand, and both figures made their grasp.

They walked out of the warehouse together, ready to re-expose themselves back into the rain. Some of the larger drops started to dribble among Fletch's hat, splashing gently near his feet.

"And he certainly did", Spidey managed to conclude. "He single-handedly refurbished the town into a city, giving jobs to the unemployed and making the city more organised with the addition of the Theoropolis Senate."

Spidey tried to show a relaxed glance, but it soon reverted to a tense approach. With that forming, he stepped further out into the open, with the rain trickling among his body even more.

"I'm not too happy with the move on the latter. Couldn't the Samaritans look after the city themselves without looking like some high profile drama queens?"

"Spidey?" Fletch raised his hand while addressing him.

Spidey instantly turned around, focusing his gaze onto Fletch. The boy then made a paced walk straight towards him, being careful not to fall amongst any nearby puddles in their immediate surroundings.

"You said you were a Samaritan once", asked the boy. "Couldn't there be any way that you would prevent Ariel from doing what he did?"

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Only the Samaritans in their present form have the power to do such a task."

Spidey gave off a sigh as he made his walk towards another passageway, this time the pipes were seen shielding all signs of rain from the ground, with only a few footprints holding any sign of dampness.

"As generations pass, the public interest change, and as it changes, the Samaritans change", he began to explain. "After my time here it changed to characters in Saturday morning cartoons. Then it went to special effects movies. And now, the Samaritan line-up is currently characters from modern day videogames. It's a problem with the public. The less they think of us, the less they are shown in the city and can be reflected here. And if no one cares less about them at all, they simply…"

He paused in his tracks. He then lowered his head, clicking his fingers multiple times, trying to figure out a way to finish his sentence. As that happened, Fletch made his walk towards him, his face looking as if he knew the sentence's conclusion.

"They _die?_"

"I'd prefer to say 'disappear'", he replied back. "Death is too harsh to think about."

He lowered his head, showing that he didn't want to respond the way he did. Fletch, however, nodded with an understanding stance and placed one of his hands upon his back, giving off a gentle smile.

And then, they made their way out from the shelter and straight back into the open. Most of the rest of the group looked on at them with blank expressions, curious over the discussion they had.

"I really appreciate the pep talk", remarked Fletch, "but how is this going to help us find Mario?"

"Hold it right there!"

The voice caused them to look towards the source – Fletch's right hand side. They all turned in that direction and they saw a series of shadows jumping down from various scaffoldings around their immediate area.

Walking among the floor was a set of tall cloaked figures, making a steady pace towards the group. Their feet clashed gently among the damp floor, the sound of splashes immediately being heard amongst everyone near them.

The figures that fell from the scaffoldings also soon emerged among the floor, showing themselves as a set of five prinnies – the peg legged penguins that were seen around the Imaginarium.

"You'll never get past us, dood!"

"Great. It's Scarlet Wolf again", Fletch said with a monotone in his voice as he looked on at the cloaked shadows. "What do they want with us this time?"

Fletch gave out an uninspiring sigh as he looked on at the cloaked figures and the prinnies. It didn't take too long for all eight figures ahead to come together, stopping and forming two rows as they did so.

Fletch's group took a similar stance, with himself, Sora, Jade and Darkwing taking the front row and Ratchet, Joanna and Spidey occupying the back. They knew that they ended up discovering an obstacle that could block their way to Mario.

"Take us down if you can, dood!" one of the prinnies excitedly shouted as it withdrew a pair of knives from its pouch. "We'll blow your brains out!""

"Knock it off!"

The prinny looked behind him, and saw the middle cloaked figure step forward. It then brought out one of its legs and kicked it straight into the air, leaving it to fly and land onto the ground, causing a small explosion upon landing. All that remained from it was smoke coming from the floor.

The cloaked figure then brought down its hood, revealing himself as a gray anthropomorphic wolf. One of his eyes was of a dirty platinum color, and the other was covered with a metallic eye patch.

"I never thought I'd see you guys in frontal view, especially if it's less than a day after capturing that worthless dragon back at the diner", he reminisced with a smirk.

Ratchet's teeth gritted together, causing him to point at him with anger in his eyes. "You! I should have known that you were there!"

"That's right, but we have names."

The wolf raised his hand into the air, causing the other two cloaked figures to remove their hoods. One of the figures showed himself to be Dimitri, while the others' face was obscured by a metallic green helmet.

"They call me Wolf O' Donnel, the Scarlet Wolf team captain", the wolf introduced himself.

"Boba Fett, Scarlet Wolf News Inquisitor", followed the helmet-donning figure.

"Dimitri Lousteau, Scarlet Wolf Instigator", Dimitri finalised with a twitch in his eye.

At the sight of Dimitri, Ratchet's face started to transform into a more agitated glare. After everything that he managed to do to them prior to making their way inside the John Moors citadel, he knew that action had to be taken.

"Dimitri!" Ratchet roared towards him. "I still should have figured that you would still hang out with them especially since we've found out the truth about Ariel!"

"I still don't care anyway, dog. The prophecy still says that he's gonna bust some light to the city, and we ain't wanting that!"

"That's the thing!" Fletch screamed towards the lounge lizard. "We're heading out here to save the city ourselves and see what the deal with that Ariel guy really is."

Fletch took a step forward, bringing one fist forward and the other hand to clutch his spear tightly. Yet, ahead of him, Wolf's expression was shown to remain calm, his tail gradually showing itself from underneath the cloak he wore.

"It's not as if you guys would care. People say he gave new jobs to the retired. But how would I believe it if I've yet to see it myself?"

"That's because I've barely seen any of your treasured Star Wolf associates from the Star Fox franchise get such cushy treatment", Ratchet sarcastically remarked, rolling his eyes. "Save for that Oikonny guy."

"Andrew Oikonny?" Wolf questioned with a raised eyebrow. "The last I saw of him is that he ran a pork butcher down the road, but that's none of your concern."

"Yeah!" Dimitri paced forward, almost knocking Wolf from his feet. "I've been out of showbiz for nearly a year and I still need my beautiful shack to pay off!"

"Quiet!" Boba shouted while he withdrew a laser gun and pointed it towards Dimitri's head. "I've only been doing odd jobs up until Star Wars Episode II came out in the theatres. Now I'm lucky if I'm doing anything at all."

"At least you'd still get tales about yo' self in the expanded universe!"

"Oh yeah? I could say the same for that Sly Cooper franchise you were in. Someone could milk the franchise to death for what it's-"

The shouting between the two caused Wolf to raise his head to the sky. "SILENCE!!!"

Wolf's shout echoed across the area, causing both Boba and Dimitri to stop in their tracks and look at their leader with tense expressions upon one another. All that Fletch could do was lower his head and shake it.

Amongst the group, Wolf took several further steps forward, raising his fists straight into the air as he managed to do so. He soon took a stop, smirking to the point that his gums began to show.

"The fact remains that we want a new rule to come over the city. And with Ariel out of the question, we fight for a more versatile ruler to the throne. And that guy is Ripto."

Fletch jumped from his position, thinking back about the creature that possessed Blaze the night before. "You can't do this!"

Fletch tried to run towards him, but before anything could be done, Wolf quickly retaliated by withdrawing a laser gun and pointing it straight towards him. He knew at that point that he meant serious business.

"Let's take them on before they cause us any more trouble!" he commanded the rest of the group.

"We're on it!" Jade understood with a confident glance.

And with that, the group managed to branch out into separate directions. Spidey made his run towards Dimitri, with Darkwing advancing towards Wolf and Joanna running towards Boba. The others made their assault on a prinny each.

Spidey's assault on Dimitri faced a powerful start as the former soon made his way behind him and almost captured him with his web stream… only to see him do a cartwheel before he could get caught.

"It's time we put you to rest, bad boy!" Spidey exclaimed as he pointed at the lounge lizard.

Dimitri soon brought himself in a firm standing position on both feet. "Take this!"

Upon shouting, Dimitri withdrew a pistol from inside his cloak, firing a series of bullets from it, trying to strike Spidey. He managed to dodge by shooting webs towards the warehouse exteriors and hoisting himself out of the way.

He soon extended his hands and shot more web streams towards lower buildings, edging himself closer and closer towards Dimitri over time. From the walls he tried to catch him again, yet once again he was able to perform all sorts of acrobatic stunts to dodge them.

"He can get pretty quick and powerful!" Spidey remarked as he noticed his encounters getting harder to inflict. "How should I counter?"

"Follow my cue!" Jade commanded from his left.

Spidey looked straight towards Jade, whom by then had ended up sent a prinny rolling down a nearby slope, far away from the area. She made her way towards Dimitri, with her Dai-Jo illuminating itself in a bright cyan color.

Once at Dimitri, she launched various sickles from the staff itself, causing him to jump and further avoid the attacks. He then launched various gun bullets as well, leaving Jade to dodge just as elegantly, occasionally using her weapon to block the attacks. That gave Spidey room to make his way round the back to try and trap him with his web stream at any opportunity that he had.

Meanwhile, with Wolf and Darkwing, the latter was seen trying to jump on top of him and try to assault some physical damage onto him. But it soon started to become rough when Wolf's laser shots started to skim against the edges of the duck's feathers.

"Darkwing!" Sora shouted while in the middle of combating another prinny.

"I think I'm about to become an elegant serving of Duck a l'Orange!"

Sora then used his keyblade to slam the prinny into a wall, causing a series of pipes to end up crashing on top of it. That left him to make his run straight towards Wolf, running as fast as he can with his weapon raised in the air.

"Back off, Wolf!"

As soon as he got to Wolf, he struck the blade straight to his body; unfortunately for the key bearer, his opponent leapt out of the way before the strike could hit him. That left him to point his laser gun upon landing.

"I never thought you'd have such skill with such a toy like that!" Wolf remarked while gesturing at Sora's keyblade.

"I'd say the same for that pea shooter of yours!" Sora replied back.

Gritting his teeth tightly, Wolf started shooting his gun as hastily as he could, leaving Sora to start dashing around the area while blocking the shots back at him. Some managed to singe his coat, while some of the other shots managed to strike the walls of the surrounding warehouses.

Meanwhile, Joanna was facing a similar situation with Boba, both of them using their own pistols to fire among one another and occasionally taking hiding among any piles of scrap metal they could find.

"Eat lead!" Joanna exclaimed as she loaded fresh ammo behind a nearby dumpster.

It didn't take long for her to leap out from behind the post, sending a couple of shots onto another post and causing them to rebound straight towards Boba. Yet, they could have struck him had it not been for him rolling onto the ground in the last minute.

Joanna started to show a more hesitant link, knowing that combating against Boba has ended up starting to stretch her skills in gunplay. With her teeth gritting together, she lowered her gun and looked on at him from her position.

"How am I supposed to knock you down?" she loudly questioned with impatience.

"Incoming!"

The shout caused them both to look to a Northern direction, and from the hillside, Ratchet was seen launching ammo from a Meteor Gun. Hot, scorching rocks were seen getting scattered around the area.

"AAAARGH!" Boba performed a Wilhelm scream upon contact with a meteor on his back.

The impact on Boba caused his cloak to catch fire, leaving him to roll upon the ground in an attempt to extinguish it. After that, the fire started to calm down, yet his expression showed himself as too weak to keep fighting.

Joanna, however, was lucky that she managed to take cover inside the same dumpster that she hid behind before. She placed her head out from some of the scrap metal and looked on at Ratchet, her facial expression showing a feeling of extreme anger.

"Ratchet, you almost tried to burn my hair! What would happen if it really DID set fire?"

With a scream, she took a hold of a nearby metal plate, jumped out from her hiding place and started to chase Ratchet with it, causing them to both run their way back the way they initially came.

In the meantime, Sora managed to strike Wolf upon the chest, before swinging the keyblade once more to send him flying in the air, landing with the rest of the prinnies and Scarlet Wolf members in a crumpled heap.

"It seems as if they're going down really easily, the prinnies especially", Sora smiled with a successful glare."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you", responded a distant mystery voice.

The voice caused the group to look towards its direction – a shadow standing on top of a warehouse roof to their East. It then jumped its way down as elegantly as a cat, landing safely on both feet as soon as it reached the tarmac.

And then it slowly paced itself forward, revealing itself limb by limb into the light. Aside from the distinguishable purple cloak typical of Scarlet Wolf gracing his body, Fletch managed to identify the figure by how little else he could see of him.

"Han?" he blinked at the sight of his gradually-exposing body.

As the face came into the light, his confirmation was backed up. The familiar eye structure, blonde hair and fluffy top hat that managed to grace his head identified him easily as Han. His face instantly turned into a wide grin at the sight of it.

"Han!" Fletch shouted with a hopeful tone. "You're going to save us!"

With a joyful expression, Fletch went on to run towards him, and as soon as he did he outstretched his arms ready to hug him. But as soon as he was going to touch him… Han instantly pushed him out of the way, causing him to slip among the damp floors and fall to the floor as if he just slid on a bar of soap.

Han then made his walk towards the heap of prinnies and Scarlet Wolf members, smirked and picked up one of the peg-legged penguins. He held it high over his head, turned around and leered on at Fletch.

"Han, what are you doing?" Fletch cried out towards him.

"You don't realise what's important anymore", Han responded with a bitter tone. "You want to become a rebel. You've lost all care for your friends outside. You're just a shadow of your former self."

"How can you say that? You're the guy who'd support everyone and anyone!"

By then, Fletch's expression started to become teary-eyed and full of remorse. But in spite of that, Han's expression didn't change one bit, with the boy reacting with nothing more than a blank look.

"How can you do this now?" Fletch continued to squeal.

Just as when Fletch could say anything else, Han threw the prinny; the former stepped back almost straight away, leaving only his face to get caught in the following explosion. It resulted in covering his face with a form of ash marks.

Han then picked up another prinny, and this time he managed to aim it towards a nearby decaying scaffolding. Just like the other one, it landed with an explosion, causing a series of scraps to fall from the supporting platform.

"HAAAAAN!" Fletch continued to cry out to him.

"Fletch!!"

Having noticed the falling scraps, Sora made his way towards Fletch, reaching his hand out, intending to save him from the falling scraps. Fletch tried to run too, but he realised by the falling rate of the rubble, it could be too late.

"Save yourself, Sora!" Fletch pleaded as he came to a stop. "Take the others with you!"

Sora shook his head, indicating that he refused to give up. And by then, various bits of scrap metal landed near or onto Fletch, pressing hard upon his back and causing him to remain stuck upon the floor.

In spite of that, Sora kept running, hoping to come through the remaining falling scraps by either using his arms or keyblade to block them. And then, he reached Fletch's side, bringing his hand through the scraps, desperately trying to locate one of his arms.

"Fletch, we can't leave you!"

Sora's expression started to become more hesitant as he struggled to find a way to help Fletch out. The falling rubble didn't make things feel easier either, leaving his expression to show more fear than the usual. With the way this is going, there could be no way that Fletch could surface the onslaught of further falling rubble…

"Here we gooooo!"

Another mystery voice showed up. Both Sora and Fletch looked on towards another skyscraper, where right at the top of the building, there stood a human figure. The silhouette may not tell much, but it was identified to look older than Han yet being slightly shorter than him at the same time.

The shadow then leapt straight down towards the floor, extending its legs gracefully with each passing jump. And as soon as it reached a canopy near the building it stood on, it jumped onto it, performed a somersault in the air and landed on both feet.

All that Fletch could see from his position on the ground were the figure's legs – jeans with brown shoes. He tried to look up, but regardless of how far he'd try to look up, he lost all consciousness before he could identify the figure.

* * *

Day 6

_An unknown building, 6:10AM_

Fletch's vision showed nothing but darkness around him. Though he felt as if he was slowly recovering from the battle that occurred it didn't change the fact that he felt heavily weakened from the previous battle.

In spite of heading in and out of subconscious at that moment in time, he felt the sensation of pinches coming across his arms. In spite of the feelings, there was no incentive in his mind for him to look at them at that moment in time.

And then, he slowly gained the consciousness to gradually regain sight. Upon trying to focus, all he could see ahead him were a mass of blurred blue and yellow shapes, casting down peacefully onto him.

"Pika… Pika…"

The arm pushes were felt again, and once more he didn't have the strength to look upon his arms and see for himself. Yet, in spite of that, his sight was still refocusing one object at a time, leaving him to see his surroundings in further detail.

The yellow shape in front of him soon refocused to a small mouse-like figure sitting on top of him. It had black tips upon its ears and lighting bolt shaped tail, as well as bright red cheeks that could compete with Akumi's.

It used its own arms to keep poking itself among Fletch's arms, trying to bring him around as it tried to do so. And eventually, it came to a stop, leaving it to pace itself slightly further up Fletch's chest and looking upon him while resting its hands upon his chin.

"Pi… pikacku?" it spoke with a juvenile voice tone.

"My…" Fletch struggled to speak. "My head…"

Fletch brought out one of his arms and placed it over his forehead, his facial expression now starting to wince with pain brought upon him. He then leant forward and gritted his teeth together, looking worse for wear.

"Thank goodness they didn't take my other eye", he sighed to himself.

The yellow rodent soon jumped off Fletch and made its way onto the floor, making a pace towards a nearby door. There, it saw a small but stout shadow making its way towards the blue room.

"Ragazzo, you sound-a like you need help", said a male voice with a strong Italian accent. "Here."

From the door itself, there entered the figure with brown shoes and denim pants from before, but he revealed himself to have more than that – his pants were actually dungarees that stretched over dominant red clothes, and his curly brown hair were covered by a red cap with a marked 'M' upon its front. Blue eyes and a fluffy moustache graced his face.

"Take this", he smiled as he stepped inside the room. "I prepared this herbal coffee myself, crafted out of the finest ingredients from ze Mushroom Kingdom."

The figure went towards Fletch holding a mug with a picture of a star with eyes on it. The boy reacted by looking onto it, slowly taking a hold upon the mug and looking upon it – the scent of mint and mushrooms were around the fluid, with the aroma in particular feeling more soothing and refreshing than twenty bubble baths in succession.

"Thank you", Fletch smiled, feeling more refreshed. "I really appreciate you saving us, Mister… um…"

"Mario", the Italian male introduced himself. "I run a pizza shack at the corner of the street, which I operate at weekends. And this, you may guess, is-a Pikachu – my flat buddy."

"Pika!" exclaimed the small yellow rodent.

Pikachu pointed its hand into the air as it made its chant. In spite of that, Fletch paid attention on Mario – thinking hard about his goal on finding him, he smiled with the relief that he managed to track him down.

"So you're the guy that Baron Praxis told us about", Fletch lightly rejoiced in his speech.

"Hm, one of the Samaritan heirs?" Mario raised an eyebrow. "What-a does he want with me anyway?"

"We basically need to restore the city to a workable one or some crud", the boy briefly explained. "I don't understand most of this story myself but I just want to see it to get my friends back."

Mario's eyes widened at the sight of it. Surely there was another figure that somehow knew about Ariel's actions towards the city, he thought to himself. With a sigh, he ended up turning around and walking back towards the door.

Fletch gave off a shaken blink and made several paces towards the short human figure. As soon as he caught up, Mario turned back towards the boy, and showed a more confident expression upon his face.

"That-a should be easy. Since I helped you out of that scrap, it's fair that I put you to good use. Do any of you know of-a Gourmet Guy?"

"Gourmet…?" Darkwing blinked, thinking hard upon the mention of the name.

"That guy tried to out-drink me in a lemonade drinking contest a few days ago" growled Ratchet as he folded his arms with an irritated expression.

"Easy enough", nodded Mario. "He is looking for someone to help him out with the shack for a while. This can be of a great contribution towards the refurbishment of the Green Goomba district."

Mario then walked past another room, where he ended up pointing towards a picture frame. Placed inside it were a wide assortment of personnel, including lizard-like monsters with spiked shells, smaller humanoid figures with what looked like mushrooms on their heads, a princess and a taller figure that looked just like him but wore green clothes.

Hidden amongst the picture was Gourmet Guy himself, the obese Shy Guy that was seen at the diner two days ago. Most of the rest of Fletch's gang looked over his shoulder to see the picture, and upon seeing it, their faces started to look slightly less concerned than the usual.

"I don't know what it'll do in the long run", Jade started to reply, "but as long as it's something to do with the city's restoration, we'll do everything possible."

"That's the spirit!"

With a smile, Mario placed his hand around Jade's back, causing her to look taken aback by the sight of a moderately overweight human with an Italian accent trying to look so optimistic about the current situation.

Yet regardless of those actions, Fletch couldn't help but start smiling a little bit more broadly than the usual. Though it could be known that Mario's task might mot make much sense, it could however aid in a big change for the city.

* * *

Several hours then passed. And as the sun started to shine intensely stronger outside the building that Mario was in, that managed to provide a signal showing safety to emerge from the apartment building that they were in.

The door then opened wide, causing the group to step out, figure by figure. The bright intensity of the sun was cast down among the district like manipulated folds among the green pipes that were left above.

"Take care now!" Mario waved to the group. "I hope you both recover well after that terrible scrap."

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu copied Mario's bodily gestures as he did them.

Fletch turned back and raised his hands towards them. "We will! Thanks!"

And so, the group managed to wave as they went further and further away from the shack. Fletch knew from his experience in there that Mario has worked as a powerful asset to his safety, and anything to repay the favor will be worth tackling.

Yet in spite of those hopeful thoughts in his mind, his face suddenly dropped as soon as he turned around a nearby corner. Once he was there, he came to a sudden stop. The group suddenly looked towards him, curious over his current feelings.

"It still doesn't explain to me on why Han doesn't trust me anymore", Fletch suddenly frowned.

"Are you sure that he's an old friend of yours?" Joanna asked with curiosity. "That encounter we had with him yesterday didn't sound like a tearful reunion."

"I know", the boy sighed. "Still, we hung out a lot together. After I lost my left eye, I didn't have a friend in the world. It all changed when I met him."

Fletch went inside one of his pockets and pulled out a photograph – the same one that he showed earlier to Sora at Club Ubi. The radiant, smiling faces of Han and Akumi started to make his voice quiver.

"I don't know if it's some kind of influence from Scarlet Wolf or anything, but when it comes to personality, it doesn't sound like him at all. What could have gone wrong?"

With a sympathised look, Sora outstretched one of his hands and placed it gently around Fletch's shoulders. All that the boy could do was look on at the key bearer as he got steadily reassured, while at the same time walking forward, hoping to actually trace Mario's pizza shack.

As they all walked off into the distance, a shadow was seen looking over them, standing over them with a booming feeling going across its body. It looked slightly short, but its menacing green eyes told everything.

Nearby, a second green-eyed figure stood nearby, equally leaning over the edge. They looked on at Fletch's group, and then at Mario's apartment block, and then back at the group again. The shorter figure gave out a sinister smile, scarily allowing its teeth to glow in the darkness.

"They recovered almost too quickly. And now, they're going to get it."

Both figures turned to each other, solemnly. They then ended up nodding at each other slowly, and refocusing their attention towards the surrounding area below. In spite of the rain from the previous day, the floor looked as dry as sandpaper.

The shorter figure made its jump down first, though it didn't actually utilise jumps; more like it waved its hands in the air in order to cast some light magic stepping stones to hop all the way down. The taller figure managed to leap from pipe to pipe onto the floor however.

Once down on the surface, they both looked in opposing directions, ready to make their next move upon their traversal of the Green Goomba district. Whichever would happen, it could be something that would prevent Fletch from going significantly further.

_-end of chapter-_


	13. Microwave Cooked Tiramisu

AUTHOR'S NOTES

I thought I wrote this blurb before I exported the story. Maybe not. While the commentary in the past chapter was small, it was very much appreciated.

In this chapter, there's going to be a little expansion for Mario's role here. Since he saved Fletch from getting crushed in the previous chapter, it's fair that we will get to see a lot more about his connections to the city beyond merely being a past Imaginarium guardian. I don't want to spoil it too much but I found this chapter fun to be able to work with.

I hope this goes down fine. Thanks for all commentary, I guess :p

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_The joy of the paintings that were in Han's loft remained etched in my mind as I dashed straight through the front door. I literally threw my coat and rucksack towards my mother, whom by the time didn't have a clue what was going on._

_There was one person that I DID want to see about all this, and that was Akumi. With that, I raced up the stairs and made my way straight into her room, stepping inside a clean environment… much cleaner than the usual._

"_Akumi?" I tried to call out for her._

_I looked across the room, and there, I saw her at the window. Her head was lowered, buried within her arms which were resting upon the windowsill at the time. I heard sobs that were so audible even any dog we've ever owned could hear it._

_Curiously, I went on to approach her. As soon as I stood by her left hand side, I placed my hand gently upon her back. I don't understand how she could get so upset on what can be seen as a beautiful day._

"_Are you okay?" I asked her with a sympathetic brotherly voice._

"_I…" She struggled to grasp her words. "I don't know."_

"_Come on", Fletch continued to try and question. "Tell me what's wrong with you. I know you can tell me everything that's gone wrong."_

_With my response in consideration, she raised her head from her arms, and then slowly turned to me with a very upsetting wide-eyed expression going across her face. There was something about that that told me that something was up._

"_It's my birth parents."_

_It all dawned back on me. Of course – she was given up by her real parents; transferred to my own mother. Yet, I still think it was cruel that they could leave someone behind for what seemed like forever._

"_What's wrong?" I started to ask in search of answers. "Don't they usually give you presents and cards in the post every birthday and Christmas?"_

"_That's the thing", she whimpered back. "They didn't give me anything for my birthday for the past two years, and I'm becoming worried about them."_

_I would have thought that her expectations were a little bit premature when we take the consideration of when she might have found out that we were merely looking after her as some sort of foster family._

_But in spite of that, her face still looked really tense and serious. That must be something that I could come to accept with a mentally disabled figure in the family, so there was only one thing to do – try and make her extra happy._

"_Akumi, don't panic", I tried to advise to her. "I know how hurt you might feel right now, but I am sure that I will find some way to get the connection back together."_

_I then turned towards Akumi to the point that I could actually look at her in the eyes. I soon stretched out my arms and allowed her to cuddle up against my chest as a means of reassuring comfort._

"_Your parents will still love you. I think with the way this is going they might have moved addresses and have struggled to receive your messages."_

_All she could do was sigh and shift facial expressions again. "If that was the case, they could have done a decent thing and sent me any messages alerting me of this."_

_It didn't take too long for her to end up releasing her grip upon my chest, and turning straight back to the window. In spite of the powerful sunset colors streaming through the window, her reflection still held enough to counter the bright and happy colors that were maintained there._

"_I'm starting to think that they might not even love me anymore", she quietly spoke as she broke down into tears again. "I don't understand. How could this happen?"_

_Her face started to quiver once again, and it was to the point that she once again placed her hand in her arms and wept a little bit more. Even at that point, I couldn't believe how she could get so distraught over something as simple as human contact._

_I then placed my hand upon her back again, rubbing it up and down as if I was trying to give her a soothing massage. And then, she stirred again and turned back towards me with such awkward teary eyes._

"_Akumi, please don't pull that face", I frowned as I saw her current expression. "Look, I'll speak to mom – um, MY mom, and see if we can get this amended."_

_I then crouched down a little bit more, this time to the point that I was able to have my face looking at her from the same height of hers looking at mine. She then used one of her arms to wipe her eyes as I did that._

"_Honest, I'll do everything I can to make you happy."_

_And then, I once again prepared myself to act as a giant huggable bean chair for Akumi to lean herself upon. And true to my own words, she went on to hug me with a gentle approach, as if she was merely cradling a baby._

_She then released her grip. She still looked very subdued in her facial expression, but that's something that I could possibly point down to adolescents and their struggles when it came to hormone control._

_In spite of that, she came through with the strength to say "thank you" through merely moving her lips, with not another sound showing up through it. With that in consideration, it was time for action to be taken._

* * *

Day 6

_Green Goomba District – 10:25AM_

The bright sunlight that came through the pipes of the Green Goomba District shone down to the floor like delicate spotlights among the tarmac flooring. Some of the light also glistened upon some of the warehouses and vertical pipes to boot, giving the immediate area a very sparkling appearance to it.

Yet in spite of its more peaceful appearance, there was no rest for Fletch and his group – no time to observe their current surroundings, and all time focused on making their way towards the sole stop of Mario's pizza shack.

They made their progress down several long and meandering branches, occasionally getting obscured by shadow in the process. They soon made their way towards a nearby exit, leaving them to look towards a more civilized street.

"Gourmet Guy!" Fletch tried to shout out into the distance.

Fletch continued to run ahead, and as soon as he got there, he ended up paying attention towards a nearby set of restaurants. Mario's pizza shack was among one of them, yet even that building had emptied premises as well as locked doors to get through to the interior.

"This…" Fletch started to grow frustrated as he struggled to open the door. "This can't be the end of the street. I can't see another food shack anywhere."

"Hold on!"

Darkwing stepped his way towards Fletch, but instead of stepping upon the balcony that consisted of the outdoor dining areas of the building, he stopped at the boy's feet and focused upon a green sewage pipe sticking up from the ground, straight ahead from the duck's viewpoint.

It mainly formed itself as some kind of green metallic tube, with a thicker ring right at the top of it. Before Fletch could even try to pace towards it, Darkwing ended up doing that before he could get the chance, even going as far as to sticking his beak inside the pipe.

"What is it, Darkwing?" Sora asked him, looking puzzled.

Darkwing took several deeper breaths before turning straight back towards his comrades. "I smell tiramisu. This may be compact, but Mario may be referring to this place."

I still don't get why he wants us to meet up with Gourmet Guy at a time like this", Fletch started again, "but we might as well face the deed."

With a smile on his face, Fletch ended up making his way towards the pipe and stood upon the top of it. Yet, expecting to fall down the pipe, he looked down, and somehow saw that his feet were suspended in the air.

"How do I get down?" Fletch asked, looking puzzled.

"Just put your weight on it!" exclaimed Sora.

Taking the key bearer's advice into account, he ended up doing so by clutching his fists together and bending down slightly. And with a generic sinking sound effect being applied at the same time, Fletch finally slid down the pipe.

The rest of the group managed to follow suit one at a time, trying not to fight over who would go first, who would go last and who would go wearing a certain object. As soon as the final figure fell through the pipe, the area was brought into silence.

At the other side of the pipe was a sewer, though unlike any openings to any sewer, the room that Fletch and the group managed to step into actually showed itself as what looked like a treasure cove.

"Wow, look at this place", Joanna gasped with awe upon entry. "It looks very sanitary for a sewer passage."

Joanna took a steady pace towards a pedestal in the middle of the room, where she ended up seeing some kind of golden substance upon it. She placed her finger upon it and licked it; the sweet taste of honey was graced upon her tongue.

After that, she turned straight towards the boy, whom by then was walking to her right. "Fletch, do you suppose you feel safe going down this place?"

"I actually feel more content than before."

Fletch turned towards her, with his eye starting to show a more reflective tone about him. It was soon reflected back at Joanna's, whom looked as if she was ready to understand whatever he would say next.

As that happened, the rest of the team gradually made their way from underneath the pipe, walking their way towards the pair of them. Whichever would happen from the gathering, the pleasant warm colors of their immediate surrounding and the scent of sugar made ease to their senses.

"The Wumpa Whip you gave me a few days ago may be something", he started to speak warmly, "but even now, since I came here a little while before then, I'm starting to feel braver than I ever was before."

"Do you mean it?" Jade asked calmly.

"I am. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to manage such leadership skills I was forced upon today. Up to now, I've had to rely on Han leading me from one area of the street to another."

Fletch then took a hold onto his hat and removed it from his head, placing it to his chest as he did so. He then looked up to the sky, his mouth trying to maintain a smile while his eye suddenly started to maintain a look of melancholy nature.

"I just wish I knew what's wrong with that guy so that I can tell him how I feel about all this", he started to reminisce. "And I just wish Akumi is around too – she too will be happy to hear about this."

"They'll be here", Ratchet remarked as he placed his hand to his own chest.

Ratchet stepped among the group and stood toe to toe with Fletch. He then used one of his hands to lift Fletch's hands aside, leaving him to put his hat back on in the process. And then, the lombax pointed straight towards the middle of his upper chest – the heart.

"Just because they may not sense your emotions physically", Ratchet clarified, "they will still be able to feel you from the heart, even if they hide them away from you."

Fletch looked down at Ratchet's hand, and with that, he knew that the lombax came forth with a valid point. In spite of his eye still showing anguish and lack of confidence, he was still keen to look ahead at the Lombax and tried to crack a smile.

"I just hope you're right", Fletch replied with a sigh. "I don't want to face another lie, like I was told that Akumi and I weren't related by blood."

Most of the group ended up showing concern for the boy, knowing how hard it could be for him to be separated from an important figure in his life. Sora in particular gave out an understanding nod, feeling as if there was something about Fletch's missing companions that he didn't know before.

Yet, the key bearer still walked steadily towards him and placed one of his hands upon Fletch's shoulder, causing the boy to look up with a blank stare. Yet, it was by a response by confident glares that he was able to look at the rest of the group once more.

"But you guys are still aiding me no matter what", Fletch confidently spoke back. "I fight for my friends, even if it will take me until next Independence Day to find them."

Ratchet couldn't help but chuckle moderately at Fletch's words. However, that was soon ceased, thanks to Jade raising her Dai-Jo in the air and hitting the lombax on the head; it caused him to wince and take a hold of the bump that started to form underneath his headgear.

Fletch, oblivious to the attack, took a tight grasp on Sora's hand and smiled at him. "Thank you all very much."

Fletch looked on at Sora, and then at the rest of the group members one by one. Though his face started to look slightly worrying when he saw Ratchet sitting on a pipe, holding his head in pain, he was still able to show that he was refilling himself with high spirits.

With that in mind, he then started to walk deeper and deeper into the sewage tunnel. One by one the rest of the team made their way through, though by the time Spider-Man came to the tunnel, he looked around… only to see that another team member was yet to follow.

"Darkwing, get off the cakes and let's go further down the tunnel!" he commanded the duck, who was at the other side of the room. "We'll be sure to run into something down there."

Darkwing looked on at Spidey with a shocked expression upon him. He then looked down at himself, and saw himself holding a collection of cream cakes and candies from various other platforms around the room.

With a face slightly filling with panic, he threw the cakes into the air and made his run towards the rest of the group. However, he was unlucky to end up slipping on a stream of maple syrup that was left upon the ground.

He soon got up and proceeded to the rest of the group, hopping on one dry foot while occasionally stopping to lick some of the syrup from his other foot. Situations like that can only question what can make a sewer passage a sewer passage, especially since there were more confectionary than what can be seen on a dozen freshly baked wedding cakes.

* * *

The tunnel didn't get any more or less sweeter in scent. After several turns, Darkwing's hops started to become less and less frequent as most of the syrup ended up dropping from the foot, either showing up as slimy webbed footprints on the ground or a sticky substance upon his beak.

It didn't take too long until they ended up in a slightly lighter room than the usual. A ceiling lamp was seen hanging loosely upon the ceiling, with gritty brick walls covering their immediate surroundings.

Yet not even that room was without a sweet scent. Several black and brown cake crumbs were seen placed among the ground, scented with coffee as well as the usual sugars. It all lead towards an entrance to the other side of the room.

"Help! Somebody help me!"

"Gourmet Guy!" Fletch shouted in response. "Is that you?"

Fletch took a hold of his spear once more as he made his dash straight into the opposing room. The rest of the group then followed, ready to witness what would be there at the other side of the tunnel.

And then they saw it – Gourmet Guy, or rather, himself from the belly down. He was seen trapped inside a green sewage pipe, upside down and kicking his legs in the air. Ratchet couldn't help but force another chuckle at the sight of him.

"Oh bother, I'm stuck!" he started to cry out with unease. "I fled to my secret cake stash when escaping from Coco's Diner, and I could only get as far as down here! I guess I shouldn't have eaten seventeen tiramisus before going down!"

"Serves you right for wanting to eat as much food as you can in any given situation!" Ratchet exclaimed while starting to laugh with hysteria.

Trying his best to calm down from his laughs, he ended up making his walk straight towards Guy, his arms outstretched as he made his way closer towards him. But as he got closer to the pipe, the heavy kicking resulted in various footprint marks going across his face.

His expression soon turned from hysteria to coming to his senses – the harsh reality of getting trapped in a pipe would be one that he would never dream of facing, but for someone as large as Guy, he knew that something needed to be done.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here", Ratchet reassured Guy. "We were instructed by Mario to do this."

"Ma…" he suddenly stopped kicking. "Mario?"

"Trust us", Fletch said with a nod. "We'll get you out of that pipe in no time."

With a confident smile, Fletch walked his way straight towards the pipe and placed his spear right inside it, wedging it between Guy's body and the green metallic surfaces of the pipe itself. And then, he pushed his weight as hard as he could.

Several pulls were sent out from Fletch's body, but all it caused him to do was spring away from the spear and pipe as if it was a diving board etched at an awkward angle. He was then sent towards the wall, banging his back hard against it.

"This surface…" Fletch winced weakly as he felt the pain upon his back. "it seems hard to break apart! How are we going to get through this?"

"Leave it to me", Joanna said confidently as she approached the pipe.

Joanna then pulled out a simple hand grenade from one of her hands. With his eyes widening at the sight of it, Fletch quickly got up from his feet, ran towards his spear and pulled it out from its placement inside the pipe.

With the view clear, she then tossed the grenade straight towards Guy. It gave off a mild explosion at the touch, leaving her to wonder if the pipe actually broke. However, she saw the clear view of the situation as soon as the smoke cleared; it didn't even cause one dent upon the surface.

"My grenades won't cut it?" Joanna questioned with concern. "How is it possible?"

"I think we need something that will pull this open from the ground", Ratchet replied confidently. "I have just the thing."

Ratchet then stepped forward, and withdrew another foldable gray box from his pockets. Except this time, there was a white cloth that managed to grace one of the sides of it. He pointed that side towards the pipe itself.

"Let me unleash my Agents of Doom!"

He then pointed the box forward, causing several smaller boxes to end up shooting their way out towards the floor. All that the group could wonder is how something like that could affect something as tough as a sewer pipe.

And then, the boxes opened up into larger boxes upon touching the ground. Then they formed themselves into more complex organisms – small robot dog like creatures, looking ready to bite away at anything that they find.

They all gathered around the pipe, and all of them dug upon the gritty ground together. It soon got to the point that the pipe itself was to become as removable as a wobbly tooth; finally, it collapsed and rolled upon the ground, showing the place where the pipe was leading into a narrow hollow hole to a lower sewer level.

"It worked!" he cheered delightfully.

"How…" Joanna paused with shock. "How could you even do that?"

"See, you don't need to be perfect to know how to tackle situations like this", remarked Ratchet as he folded his arms. "No one is perfect."

All that Joanna could do was growl back at him, knowing that Ratchet has ended up finding a place in the limelight once more. But then, her face started to become more insecure. What if he was right and saying that no one is perfect after all?

As that happened, the rest of the group went towards Guy, whom by then was seen rolling upon the floor, his body still stuck inside the pipe. He soon came to a stop at Fletch's feet, leaving him to look at his direction from his position.

"Hold on, Guy. We'll pull you out."

And so, they all went around to his legs and took a hold of them. Fletch, Joanna and Ratchet took a grasp on one leg; Sora, Darkwing and Jade went towards another; Spidey managed to secure the pipe to the ground with various layers of web substance.

They all started pulling Guy, steadily but carefully. Comparing the group to the size of the giant shy guy, it would look as if they had no chance in being able to pull him free. But when they saw that he was starting to slip from inside the pipe, they knew that they were onto something.

Several tugs later, he then came shooting out of the pipe like a cannonball, causing the group to end up falling to their feet and Guy to end up landing very close to Fletch and Sora; had they been closer to the pipe than they were at the fall, they could have been crushed.

Guy soon turned back towards the group, his face showing a clear and identifiable smile. "Thank you very much for saving me. But… how did Mario know that I was in here?"

"We were told by Baron Praxis to locate Mario, concerning the Samaritans of the city", Fletch began to recap. "He actually recovered us after a fight, and led us to save you to pay back his debt or something."

"Ah, I see what you mean."

Gourmet Guy raised his head up high, placed his hands firmly upon the ground and lifted himself up, soon bringing himself into a standing position. Fletch and his group were soon inclined to do the same.

"Normally these Samaritan related guys can get really secretive over their roles, but not me", Guy resumed speaking in a smug tone. "I am a Samaritan Heir - Mario's Heir."

Guy brought one of his hands behind his neckerchief, and pulled out a chained red gem that looked exactly the same as to what Praxis and Blaze had. The group looked on at it, knowing that they found another piece to the puzzle.

"Wow, so Mario _is _an actual Samaritan", Fletch replied with awe. "I should have figured that out sooner if he had some kind of emblem with him."

"He doesn't display it much in his pizza businesses", Guy shrugged, "but he does show a lot of passion with his cooking though. Still, now that Ripto's on the loose trying to get the Samaritans for himself, we need to make sure we get all protective over the remaining guys. Five have gone missing, four being placed under Ripto's watch, and we can't let Mario and the other one go astray."

Guy ended up waving his arms in the air frantically, before stomping around at various intervals and making his way towards a nearby set of pipes, sitting carefully on them, trying his best not to make them snap.

The group walked over to him, looking over at his more distraught facial expression. There, Fletch edged slightly closer, taking a hold of one of Guy's hands, squeezing it as tight as he would with a teddy bear's.

"This is two tasks we need to do at once", Guy then said in a louder tone as he looked towards the boy. "Protect Mario and the other remaining Samaritan, while at the same time find a way to rescue the others, find a way to get back the Emperor Ariel we all knew and loved and restore the city to as it was before. We can do this."

With that glare, his face suddenly started to show more determination. It was soon reflected back with Fletch's, whom couldn't help but take a small grasp upon the pole of his spear as he managed to do so.

"You're on", the boy smiled. "Let's see if we can get back to Mario's place."

And with that, he used his hand to support Guy in standing back up. The seven of them left the room together, ready to report back to Mario. Yet just before they were about to go further down the corridor, Fletch poked his head back inside the room.

"You're coming with us, Guy!"

"I am?"

"Mario's orders", Spidey said as he poked his head above Fletch's, upside down. "Let's go!"

Spidey then crawled his way to the middle of the room's ceiling and released a set of web substance straight towards Guy, whom blocked it off initially by picking up the fallen pipe from the floor, throwing it back and causing it to stick to the ground like an object covered in bubblegum.

Yet, some of his means of defences eventually gave Spidey free room to try and catch him. And then he did, going around his arms and waist together. With an agitated look, he pulled his catch through the sewer passage that they came from.

"Why do I have to get tied into these things?" Guy whimpered with dissatisfaction. "I just wish I was a koopa with a spiked shell that can get me out of this mess."

Guy sighed as he was left to slide among the ground like a rag doll, with Fletch leaving the room after his departure, withdrawing his spear and pointing it down at him while keeping a close watch upon him.

The sweet smell of sugars once again started to feel more intense as they went further and further up the passage, yet that is also fused in with a feeling of success – freeing Guy from an almost impossible situation and finding out about a mild link he had with the Samaritans.

A new task was upon them – to guard Mario and whatever Samaritan remained as well as attempt to find ways to free the others. They knew that in spite of the rough past two days that they encountered, a light was nearby.

* * *

It didn't take too long for the group to return to the surface of the Green Goomba District. While most of the personnel returned successfully, rising up the green sewer pipe they were initially in, Guy had problems squeezing through, leaving the pipe to end up getting uprooted and a giant jagged hole to be formed for him to squeeze his way out.

Together, they all went down the passage leading straight back towards Mario's apartment, taking many twists and turns on the way. That left some of the personnel to end up showing feelings of confusion, going through some of the tighter walkways.

Yet it didn't take too long until they reached a familiar setting. The amount of warehouses and shops started to decrease, and their immediate area around them started to look much more suburban-like in setting.

"Mario should be just around the corner", Guy stated with a feeble voice tone, "but there's no way you're going to get me involved with physical duty work, okay?"

"We won't, we promise!" Fletch replied with an understanding nod.

"Pika!"

The shout caused the group to look straight ahead, where they saw a small yellow figure running on all fours. The familiar lightning bolt shaped tail and markings of black made the figure distinguishable enough for Fletch to recognise him.

"Hey, it's Pikachu!"

The mouse figure soon stopped right in front of Fletch's feet. Once there, it started waving its arms into the air, with cries using the syllables of its own name. All that the boy could do was blink in confusion.

"What's he saying?"

"Let me handle this. I can talk Pikachu", Guy nodded with a confident voice tone, coughing before he could make his next move. "Peh… pika pika?"

Guy ended up crouching down, looking down at the mouse as he once again went through the same routine as he did to Fletch, waving his arms in the air. With understanding, Guy communicated back, wanting to know more answers.

After several exchanges, Guy's face showed shock, and as he hesitantly tried to ask for more answers – and received them in return – he screamed and ended up falling upon his back. Fletch and Sora ended up helping him onto his feet not long after that.

"Someone set Mario's apartment on fire!" Guy shouted with fear. "But… I don't see any smoke."

"There's no time to stop", Fletch started to dictate with a loud tone. "We have to keep moving!"

Fletch then pointed straight ahead, knowing that there could be danger for Mario. How his home could be set on fire is one concern, and whether it would relate to his status as a Samaritan would be another.

He took a tight hold onto his spear as he made his dash ahead. The group soon immediately followed, this time Guy actually felt an incentive to run, all for the safety of one of the seven Samaritans – and potentially a close friend.

For all they knew, it could either be a hoax call from Pikachu, or it could be something far more sinister. Whichever happened, they all looked as if they were prepared for the worst upon their arrival.

* * *

Finally, they got to the front door of Mario's apartment block. And true to their word, one floor in particular was caught on fire, with some surrounding areas that were very close to following in its tracks.

Quickly, the group made their way towards the floor of the building, dashed straight through the lower lobby and made their way towards a set of metallic stairs next to an escalator – a simple fire escape for many.

They climbed up several floors to Mario's home floor, and as soon as they got there, Fletch opened the door wide open, only to be greeted by several intense flames trying to catch onto his face.

"Mario!" Fletch coughed amidst the smoke. "Mario, where are you?"

Fletch tried to take several steps in, but the heavy amount of damage caused by the fire left him to whimper and take several steps backwards, struggling to breathe and stand together in the process.

"This…" his face started to turn an odd shade of lilac. "This smoke is too thick! Where could he have gone?"

"He can't be too far, I swear!" Guy spoke with confidence.

"Pi-pikachu!"

Amidst the party, Pikachu managed to jump ahead of the group and storm his way straight inside the flames. Guy himself ended up showing a face of panic at the sight of him making his way straight through the fire.

"Pikachu, get back! You might suffocate!"

Guy's cries showed no response as his accomplice went further down the corridors. All that he could do was stand there and wait, hoping with his own mind that Pikachu would be able to escape from the blistering inferno alive.

And then, before anything else could happen, Pikachu soon made his way back. A few burns were seen upon his body, but it didn't distract him as he stood in the middle of the blaze and pointed towards a nearby door.

"Wait, he said he found something!" Guy interpreted his actions.

Fletch turned to him, his face looking more insecure. "The cause of the fire?"

"Maybe, but it should help us. We have to keep going!"

And so, the group managed to storm through the blaze, with Guy leading the way. He charged his way through one door, breaking it down so that two or three people at a time could be able to fit through at once.

As they went further into the blaze, Fletch started to show signs of weakness. The smoke intensity started to get to him as he struggled to stand up, let alone walk around. Before he even crouched down, Spidey took a hold of him.

"Don't worry about passing out. We'll protect you ever step of the way."

With that, he sacrificed his own mask, revealing his own head – he was revealed to be a human with brown hair upon him, with blue eyes gracing him. He applied the mask around Fletch's face, being sure to place his hat back on when he was done.

Feeling more relieved when it came to breathing, Fletch was able to proceed further. It didn't take long until they reached the other side of the blaze as well, reaching another flight of stairs. This time, it was more metallic in setting and significantly more fireproof. Upon sight, they all climbed up in single file, aiming for the very top.

* * *

The roof of the apartment block was really close to getting caught into the same flames as Mario's apartment floor and the surrounding floors. Yet it was still safe enough to traverse among it.

Unfortunately, with Mario and a cloaked figure at the top, it could be anything but safe. The figure stepped over the moustached human with a glowing sceptre in his hand, aiming it straight towards him.

It glowed with a powerful red aura, glowing deeply among their eyes – Mario's blue ones and the figure's green ones. They both knew that the charge could be likely to end in a harsh and painful fashion.

"How do you like it now, Italian plunder?" the figure started interrogating him with a familiar voice. "We have you cornered with no way out. You won't escape from Scarlet Wolf now!"

"That's-a what you think, shorty!" Mario counter-remarked. "I think you'sa need lessons in manners after what you did."

"Grrrr…yaaargh!"

The cloaked figure then pointed the sceptre forward, causing a barrage of red light energy to be thrown straight towards Mario. He, however, managed to duck in the last minute, only leaving the light to skim upon the top of his hat.

His opponent roared with rage as it raised his fists into the air, but before it could unleash a full fury, footsteps were heard. It turned around and saw Fletch, Gourmet Guy and the others succeed up the stairs, the boy still wearing Spider-Man's mask on arrival.

"Leave Mario alone or the sceptre gets it!"

The figure scowled before leering at the boy. "You again?"

The figure then turned around and pulled down his hood, showing himself to be Ripto. All that Fletch could do at the sight of his face was shaking his head and folding his arms as if he faced a predictable encounter.

"Ripto", Fletch sighed. "How would I guess that you would show up to penetrate his home?"

"It's quite simple, really. With Mario in my possession, I will be closer to dominating the city in Ariel's place. You got it?"

Ripto then cackled with laughter, which all that caused Fletch to do was grasp onto his spear tightly and make a few tensed footsteps towards him. It didn't take long until he stood face to face with the monstrous prophet.

He looked on at him, and then at Mario. He knew that after hearing from Gourmet Guy, he had a lengthy task to undergo when it comes to the protection of the final two Samaritans. With that thought in mind, he turned back to Ripto with his fists shaking.

"I'm not going to let you take him away. And you've just put this on yourself", Fletch valiantly spoke as he used his free hand to snap his fingers. "Dance fight?"

"I'd prefer a brawl of a different kind", Ripto growled back. "Let's go!"

Ripto raised his sceptre into the air, and Fletch followed by raising his spear. There, they both engaged themselves in combat, with the boy trying to launch any physical damage and the former summoning red auras from his weapon of choice.

The intensity of the red aura magic soon managed to get to Fletch, which somehow managed to affect his remaining eye in spite of him wearing Spidey's mask. He used his other free arm to try and shield it off.

"What kind of power is in that sceptre?" Fletch whimpered. "You can't fight like that!"

"Oh, but I can!"

With that remark, Ripto used the sceptre to summon a crystal platform beneath his feet, and used it again to launch several more intense bolts of energy towards the boy, whom once again ended up trying to shield them off.

The strength of the light intensity left him to scream and take several steps back. From the sidelines, Sora rushed towards the scene and took a hold of Fletch's hand, looking onto his face with reassurance.

"Fletch, don't back down like that! You have to keep going!"

"But the light's too intense, Sora!" Fletch cried as he shook his head. "It's too strong to break through!"

"Let-a me handle it!"

All of a sudden, Mario managed to leap in front of Fletch and Sora, with his fists clenched tightly and raised in front of him as if he was posing as a boxer. All that Ripto could do was smirk at the sight of the pose.

Yet, he soon reacted by picking up a large wooden mallet from the ground. He instantly charged towards the prophet, raising the object high into the air. As soon as he got close enough, he made a leap onto a nearby washing line and catapulted himself into the air.

"Let's-a go!"

And then, he started to fall to the ground, coming down mallet first. Ripto tried to counter with any magic spells he had, but not even they were strong enough to withstand the flat end of the mallet to his face.

After inflicting the attack, Mario rebounded and made his leap towards the edge of the roof. Once there, he looked back at Ripto with a leer in his face. It didn't take too long until Ripto started to charge his sceptre significantly stronger and the usual.

"You've just made your last move!" he cackled deviously. "Prepare to be my marionette!"

Mario turned around and used his mallet to block whatever coming attack would come around, but as the attack got unleashed, it instantly engulfed him into the light, causing him to weaken at the sight of it.

The light soon faded out, and that left Mario to be shown at full exposure once more. The blast caused him to collapse upon the floor, on his stomach. From the sidelines, Guy and Pikachu showed panic as they saw their comrade in extreme danger.

"Mario!!" Guy exclaimed as he leant forward, pointing his arms towards him.

"Pika!!!" Pikachu mimicked his actions.

With Mario fallen from the attack's impact, Ripto knew that there was one more task to undergo. He placed his hand deep inside his cape, and as he did that, an eerie purple glow started to surround it.

He pulled out a rounded purple crystal – the same type of crystal seen to capture some of the other Samaritans. He then threw it into the air, where it cackled with dark energies to inflict the surrounding area.

Just like at the diner several nights ago, the energy was enough to cause some of the personnel to end up being brought to their hands and knees. Fletch felt more in pain as he was brought to his stomach, only using his spear to try and support himself. All that the group together could do was watch as Mario was imprisoned inside the crystal.

* * *

A couple of hours passed, and by then, the apartment block ended up being almost entirely ablaze. Back on the surface, a fire safety squad consisting of several Cheep Cheeps – purple fish with giant orange lips – and Mudkips – small creatures that resemble mud fish – were seen working together in putting out the fire.

Fletch and the others were seen at the surface, the light of the fire reflecting upon their faces. In spite of the blaze starting to die down over time, they somehow came to realise that Fletch's spirit was dying down with them.

He removed Spidey's mask, returned it to its rightful owner and went towards a nearby upturned rock. In a melancholy state, he sat down upon it and looked up at the fire, his eyes showing anguish at the sight of it.

"I can't believe it all came to this. Mario's home is in ashes, and a defence attempt failed."

He then sighed as he looked down at his spear. In spite of it being stuck by his side as a core element of his destiny, he knew that from the last battle with Ripto, he felt as if he started to let himself down.

"I need to blame myself, again", he solemnly spoke while letting his limbs hang without motion. "It's my fault for making me think too highly of myself. It was my fault that Spyro got captured, and now I'm saying the same again for Mario."

With his sadness starting to turn to a moderate approach to anger, he lifted the spear above his head and tossed it like a javelin towards the nearest wall he could find. The point ended up rebounding, causing it to fall to the floor as flat as a fallen flagpole.

Upon the sound, Sora looked towards the spear, walked towards it and picked it up. He then looked towards Fletch and placed the weapon back to his side. But even if he felt as if he wanted it returned, he just took a light grasp on it and pushed it away from him.

"Maybe I'm not so brave after all", he continued to express his pessimism.

"I can't really blame you for what happened out there", sympathised Sora as he placed his hand on the boy's right shoulder. "From what I've heard, Ripto is a really powerful sorcerer, so it's understandable if he's hard to overcome."

"Yeah", Darkwing gently approached Fletch from the other side. "You at least gave it a good shot and came out of there alive."

Sora and Darkwing gave him reassuring glances back, with the latter picking up the spear again and returning it to Fletch's hands. However, instead of trying to dispose of it, he just looked down at it, with a sickly feeling forming in his stomach.

"But whatif I come to face him again?" he said with lack of confidence. "Maybe Han was right. Maybe I AM just a shadow of my former self."

"You never were a shadow of anything", Sora reassured him with a more joyous look. "You came to this city as a shy little boy and look at how far you came! Even though you still need to go home with your friends in hand, you were still strong enough to overcome many obstacles layered out by the city."

Sora sat down next to him and placed his hand upon the boy's shoulder. Fletch soon looked on at him – maybe the key bearer had a point. He came to the city as a really timid and scared creature, but when the days went on, he fought significantly more valiantly.

Yet in spite of that, the feeling of shame and guilt didn't leave his body. He once again looked down at himself, his remaining eye starting to look more expressive than it usually is. All he could do was accept what the personnel have said around him and look onto the future, no matter how insecure he felt.

"Trust us, Fletch", Jade softly approached the boy. "You fought really well out there. And I'm sure that as time goes on, you will gain enough confidence to fight Ripto again. Only this time, it will be to free his five prisoners."

Her remark caused Fletch to look on at her. He had to accept it now – no matter how much he would doubt himself, the rest of his group were there to give him the strength to continue his journey. He then stood up, his face starting to drain its negative expressions as he did so.

"So, that's six Samaritans already captured, five by Ripto", he spoke with a blink. "But how can we tackle the situation from here? This is going to be difficult."

"Not necessarily."

The group all looked towards Gourmet Guy, whom was seen standing near the blaze, holding a lollipop in his hand. But before he could even finish it, he focused his attention to the personnel near him – significantly more important entities than sugary snacks.

"As a Samaritan heir, I will at least bring forth the information on the last Samaritan residing in the city. He lives in the Philips Cosmopolitan District, and looks over the city as a key member of the Theoropolis Senate."

"Senator Hare?" Fletch suddenly jumped to a conclusion.

"I can't say for certain, but this guy must be a really important part of the Samaritans. Yet, there are few ways to access the building. I don't even know of a way in myself."

Guy then looked into the distance and focused upon a building peaking through the pipes – a fair distance away, and stood on a hillside covered with mountains and bushes. He blinked over at it, curious over how it could be tackled.

But their attention was soon tackled by the sound of Pikachu calling out to them. It was seen making its run from the blaze, wearing a red hat with what looked like cherub wings on both sides of it and holding a green gemstone in its mouth.

"What is it?" Fletch gestured at the hat in particular.

The gemstone was dropped to the floor, causing Fletch to lean towards it and hold it first. And he saw it to be another copy of Ariel's Emblem, just like those he obtained from Spyro and Rayman; except, the other side of the gem had a silhouette of a One Up Mushroom to identify its initial owner.

Pikachu then tried to converse with the rest of the team about the hat he brought back, though most of them could only look on at confusion at it. However, Guy managed to crouch down and look on at it as it spoke.

"Oh, I see now!" Guy's face lit up. "Mario wears this if he ever makes his way over to the Senate, you're saying."

"Yeah, but what kind of tool is this?" Darkwing blinked as he picked up the hat.

"He says it's a Wing Cap. Those that come to the entrance wear it on their head to get inside."

Guy then took a hold of the hat from Darkwing's grasp and made his walk towards the rest of the team. There, he ended up passing it on to Fletch, whom ended up removing his own hat from the top of his own head.

The Wing Cap was applied in its place, and just like that, it ended up facing a perfect fit upon him. He gave out an awe-inspiring glance, knowing that he and his team will be able to go far with the new object.

"This is all we can do to help you", said Guy. "It may be so little, but I hope that it at least serves a key purpose in getting you through this journey alive."

Fletch responded back with a nod. "I know that we've faced a grim journey, but I'm sure that going further down the line, we will turn it all around."

Fletch looked on at Guy deeper than he could before, and he knew that upon seeing his signs of gratitude upon him, they found a way to get closer and closer towards their goal. And for the first time in a long time, he gave out a radiant smile.

"Gourmet Guy, thank you."

He then outstretched his hands and placed them into a hug around Guy's body, whom soon returned the favor. Though he was very large and obese, he was everything he needed for comfort, feeling as huggable as a giant teddy bear.

Their grasp was released, and by then, Fletch knew that the time was nigh. They then started to make their walk north, heading out from the district and through the passage they went to get inside to begin with.

"You know what happens now", Joanna confidently smiled. "It's time we made the long hike to the Senatorial housing."

"I hope Senator Clank thinks that I haven't softened up on this journey", Ratchet expressed concern to his comrades.

"I doubt it."

The group then turned towards Fletch, whom as soon as he was happy again, started to look uncomfortable. His pacing ended up slowing down a little bit more, to the point that the entire group had to stop and turn to him.

"If anyone would soften up, it could very well be me."

"Fletch!"

Sora made his pacing towards him and took a hold of his hand. Once he grasped onto him, he pulled him towards the rest of the group, trying to make sure he could forget about the situation that passed.

They soon went towards the checkpoint that they took to get inside. Darkwing tried to utilise the emblems, but he ended up dropping all three on the floor. With hesitance, he showcased Mario's to the portal, picked up the others, and led the group through.

The Senatorial Housing was nigh – their ultimate task was there, and that was to protect the last Samaritan while looking for methods to rescue the others, try to make peace with Han and locate Akumi. Yet, with what Fletch has managed to witness, the tasks could be harder than he thought.

_-end of chapter-_


	14. The Final Samaritan

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Here we are again. Though the readership with this thing still hasn't been brilliant I'm glad there's been some people that have been reading it well enough. Thanks for all input so far.

Yep, it has been shown; not even Mario, the most famous videogame mascot that ever lived, could stand up to the powers of Ripto, possibly the most overused villain in the Spyro the Dragon franchise. I too find it to be really odd, but for the purpose of a tale like this, what has to be taken to account is the realism of what certain personnel could pull off at any certain time. If Mario had something other than attacks by jumping, kicking koopa shells, using the occasional hammer and fireflower, he could even measure up to some of the more armed Samaritans like Guardian Jak.

But no worries though. I still respect Mario through and through. Otherwise I would never have got New Super Mario Bros for one thing. :p I'm sure things will lighten up down the line, trust me.

Now that we're on this talk about Samaritans, when we last left Fletch and his team, they were to go to the Senatorial Housing with Mario's Wing Cap to trace the last surviving Samaritan in the entire city. And yes, THIS is the kind of climax that I was hoping to go with. Both this and the following chapter could be a bit on the short side, but I think it's well required especially after what the previous few have shown.

Thanks again!

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_It didn't take me long to visit Han's house again. Several days passed since I saw the paintings and subsequently saw Akumi's anguish over her lack of contact with her birth parents. Even now I somehow felt sorry for her._

_When it came to expressing personal problems, I just didn't know who else to turn to outside Han. My mother never even bothered to tell me anything relating to Akumi being an adopted child, and the kids at school were mainly too immature to understand._

_So by being able to confront him at his house that week, I managed to sit him down at a nearby coffee table, exchanging glasses of warm orange juice, and getting him relaxed to the point that I could finally tell him my problems._

"_Han, you need to help me out", I spoke out to him._

"_What can I do for you this time?"_

"_It's Akumi" I began to recap. "She's been really upset lately because her real parents have been unable to contact her in a long time. I don't understand what happened. Do you think they might have left her behind on purpose?"_

_Han looked at me, peeking his eyes over the rim of his soccer ball mug. Looking really concerned, he placed it down and looked at me square in the eye. He seemed to be starting to get really serious about all this._

"_Fletch, unless her birth parents are completely vicious and painful, she doesn't seem to be the person to be left alone like this."_

"_So what is it that you're saying?" I asked him with caution._

"_They might have forgotten about her."_

"_But that's what I told her; they might have moved house, or anything like that. It certainly didn't aid the situation, to be honest."_

_I ended up shaking my head as I spoke, knowing that Akumi can't recover from telling her that some other event might have happened. There was something that needed to be done, and I wanted to find it… yet it was found in front of me when Han got up picked up a fountain pen from the fireplace._

"_Well, if there's anything I can do to help you", he spoke as he twirled the pen around, "how about you write to someone about it?"_

"_Like who?" I asked with a raised voice tone. "Who else would trust someone with one functional eye?"_

"_They won't sense it in letters, silly."_

_He gave out a chuckle as he went towards a nearby fax machine in the room. He pulled out several slices of paper from the paper tray and went on to get a card with black horizontal lines on it next to it._

"_Look, I say we should write it to the local newspapers. If the press pick up the plea, then we'll be one step closer to getting the attention of her birth parents."_

_He placed the paper and card down near me. I looked down at them – how would I figure that at some stage in my life, I'd end up writing to someone about something, especially at such unnatural events like detecting a sister's real parents?_

_I thought really hard. Though he seemed to be stretching it with the writing idea, I didn't want to see Akumi cry about this for any longer. I can't stand to see an elder youth than myself get upset over anything. I knew that I was in to help her out._

"_I'll do it", I pledged to him._

_And so, that marked the beginning of a long and tedious process that came around for the next few days. Several draft letters were written out, spell checked, and spat out before being drafted out once again._

_Once that were done, several photographs were gathered around my home, trying to get people associating with Akumi. It's a shame that I saw more toddler photos than the usual, but I'll make do with one of her happier ones of that variety, so that her parents could identify her easier._

_The letters were checked through over and over again, and once we had the final draft, they were sealed up inside a brown envelope, ready to be sent towards the address of the nearest newspaper firm we could locate._

_In due time, we then made a journey towards a nearby letterbox. The weekend was very quickly approaching, and we thought that it could end up being really late to get the response through sometime soon._

_I looked on at my envelope – I always thought my writing looked like a spider crawling across my page, but in spite of that, Han looked really confident that the entire thing would work. I assumed that there was only one way to find out - to actually place it in the letterbox._

"_I hope it's been addressed clearly", I sighed at the sight of my writing._

"_Fletch, stop panicking over nothing", Han sternly replied back. "There's nothing flawless about your handwriting, no matter how unconfident that you could get over it."_

_He smiled back at me, and it was then that I felt the instinct to look back at the letter, back at the letterbox, and at the letter again. My confidence boosted, as I somehow knew that this could be a working idea._

"_Here we go!"_

_I stepped towards the letterbox and slipped the letter inside the dark rectangular hole that managed to grace it. Once I released my grip onto the letter as it fell with all the other postage inside, there was no turning back._

_Shaking my fists slightly, I turned back to Han, whom was seen smiling and folding his arms at me. His heavy spell of optimism is something that can be of a great aid at such a serious moment in time._

"_It's been sent" Han confirmed the placement. "All we got to do is make a wait for it."_

"_I sure hope that they pick it up well", I spoke as I placed my hands together. "I don't want to see Akumi get all heartbroken over nothing."_

"_I doubt it. I'm sure there's something that can be done to make her feel comfortable again."_

_He then made his walk towards me and placed his hand on top of my shoulder, as if he was my soccer team coach – if I was even in a sports team to begin with. Continuing to look at me, I placed my hand around his shoulders and we both walked back to his house together._

_The skies above me never felt so peaceful and relaxing. The few trees that were around the avenue we walked down drifted by gently in the breeze, with several doves sweeping across the sky and hovering their way down the street._

"_So what do you say we should do in the time being?" I asked Han as we walked under a weeping willow._

_"How about we all play Monopoly together?" he made his suggestion. "It should be easy enough. We can do it with three of us. It'll also take Akumi's mind off the whole thing."_

"_You're on!"_

_I gave out a determined glare. Sure, a board game should be a great method to help calm down the nerves as far as I'm concerned. Maybe I should let her buy Boardwalk, give her two community chest cards to open with or put Han or myself in Jail straight away in order to give her some advantage this time, I thought while thinking of potential ways to relax her._

_Whichever would happen, I somehow knew that the next few days are not going to be easy. Who would have figured that a plea to detect someone's real parents would actually go as far as contacting the local papers?_

_Whether it would end up in the pages itself or not, I'm just glad that I at least took the next step in order to reunite her with her real family. And even if the application fails to occur, I'm still going to stick around as a potential guardian for her, just like I promised to my mother a long time ago._

* * *

Day 6

_Senatorial Housing, Philips Cosmopolitan District – 4:05PM_

The skies were slowly tinting towards a blue-purple-crimson shade, with the silver clouds being shadowed as time slowly consumed and the sun started to make its journey towards the Western horizon.

In that time, Fletch and the group were seen making an ascent up a long flight of stairs, heading up a hillside right at the northernmost point of town. They showed exhaustion as they got further and further up, unknowing of how many more stairs they should climb to make their way to the top.

And then, they finally reached the top. They looked around, and paid their attention directly towards the building in front of them – the Senatorial Housing itself, intact and standing still in all of its majesty.

"It's been a long climb", Fletch remarked as he tried to regain his breath, "but we're up there. I hope this is the right place."

"I'm sure this is it", Jade securely stated out loud. "It feels very political in structure, not to mention symbolic. The guys at Club Ubi would really appreciate photographs of this area if they required them."

Jade looked straight up towards the top of the building, and saw the roof shining gently with a purple tint as the sun continued to set. She then made her observations around the rest of the building, knowing for sure that it could be a powerful place to traverse inside.

"Are you ready to use the Wing Cap?" Sora asked Fletch as he took a hold of his standard blue cap and gave him the Wing cap.

Fletch gave off a solemn yet grateful nod. "Though I still feel bitter over the events from back at the Green Goomba District, I'm still ready to go through with this."

Fletch sighed as he took a tight grasp upon the Wing Cap. He then looked on at the front door with a blank stare, and it didn't take too long for his expression to make a change to a more serious one.

"Let's go."

With that remark, he placed the Wing Cap upon the top of his head, and marched his way straight towards the front door itself. With every passing step, he could see more of his reflection among the shiny gloss-like surface.

But as soon as he managed to reach the door, two white orbs appeared from the gutters, opening up hatches etched onto them. They revealed themselves to be red lasers, attempting to strike Fletch; he quickly stepped back away from them, gasping at the sight of them.

"Damn!" he shrieked. "Why do we have those lasers coming out?"

"Maybe the Wing Cap won't fit on just about anyone", frowned Ratchet. "I don't understand."

Darkwing soon made his way towards Fletch and Sora with his hands outstretched. "Hey, give me that!"

With an exclamation of determination, Darkwing threw his hat to the ground, snatched the Wing Cap away from Fletch and made his walk straight towards the door himself, his fists getting clutched tighter than snowballs over time.

The lasers continued to try shooting, this time focusing at Darkwing as he came closer and closer towards the door. And as soon as he found a stable position, he raised one hand in the air and shouted towards the building.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the borrower that returns all possessions from Mobius to the Mushroom Kingdom! I am Darkwing Duck!"

Unfortunately for him, the red lasers managed to strike him and knock him towards the floor on his back. As soon as the impact faded out, he was seen in a burnt state with feathers starting to fall out of place and several fresh holes coming through his cape.

"So much for that idea", he weakly mumbled in pain.

Joanna responded back with a shake of the head. "Maybe security has tightened up since the whole scare with Ariel leaving this place. How else can we get inside though?"

Joanna focused her attention to the rest of the team, whom mainly ended up showing blanks upon one another. How could the Wing Cap fail at a critical moment like that, she thought hard to herself.

Yet before she could think of any ideas herself, Sora looked towards his pockets and withdrew the COM link device from his pocket. Holding onto it tightly, he made a run towards the side of the building.

"Sora, what are you doing?" Spidey tried to ask.

"I'll be right back! I've got an idea, but I need to contact Fox!"

Spidey tried to run to catch up with him, but before he could do anything, Jade placed a hand upon his shoulder, indicating that the key bearer should be free to do whatever he should be doing.

They all looked on towards the back of the building, wondering what Sora is implying to assist the team at a moment like that. They thought hard over the past experiences with Fox – firstly they helped the team with grouping Fletch with Sora and Darkwing to tackle the missing persona case, secondly they eventually stormed the John Moors District, and thirdly they were the first to inform the group about the Seven Samaritans.

Whatever they could do in this current phase could be anyone's guess at that moment in time. All that they could do is wait and see what would happen as a result, even if it could take the rest of the evening.

* * *

Unknown to the rest of the team, Ripto was seen making his way straight towards the back door of the building. By then, several deep footprints were seen of him traversing among the soft lawn that graced the housing's rear. 

He soon made a stop towards the door itself, which was shown to be of a copper color and a significantly more square formation than what was seen upon the building's front door. Just as similarly, he could see portions of his own reflection upon it.

Yet, he didn't focus upon that, as instead, he pointed his own sceptre towards the door, causing it to glow with an eerie red aura and reflecting back strongly in his own eyes without him screaming out for pain.

"The time has come!" he cheered sinisterly.

A charged shot of red aura energy made its way towards the door, striking it straight towards the middle of it. As it then fell towards its hinges, he made his way straight inside the building, ready to continue his journey inside.

His reflection was seen just as strongly among the checked tiles that formed the floor, and even that showed a more distorted viewpoint of his own progressing determined facial expression with each passing step.

And then, he made a turn to the right. A large set of golden doors was seen directly in front of him. Bearing their status in mind, he gave out a broad smirk as he started to approach them, somehow being heavily aware of what would be beyond the passage.

* * *

Fifteen minutes passed and Sora didn't make his return towards the rest of the team. By then, Darkwing resorted to sitting on the floor with Fletch coming next to him. Spidey and Jade looked on together, with Ratchet and Joanna being at their opposing sides. 

And then, Sora finally did emerge from the side of the building, still using the COM link device to communicate to the receiving end. The call was soon over, leaving him to pack it up and place it back inside his pocket.

Making a steady walk to the rest of the team, a more stern face than the usual managed to grace his body. Darkwing leered upon it with a slanted look in his eye, and bearing that in mind he stood up and placed his hands on his hips, looking on at his partner.

"Okay, Smart Alec", he addressed Sora with a leer. "What was your intention to contact Fox for anyway?"

"If in doubt, ring HQ", the key bearer responded while folding his arms. "They're bringing someone over to help us out here. And they claim that they'd get this sorted out in a matter of seconds."

"But how?" Darkwing asked in return.

Sora gave out a shrug. All he could do was believe the words of a very close set of outside figures from the main combat. With that, he sat down next to Fletch, with Darkwing making his seating next to the key bearer.

"Did someone use a communications device out here?"

The shout caused the group to all turn straight towards the steps that they just walked from. And they saw from the base that a figure was seen flying a few inches above the ground with a familiar looking jet board.

The figure then came closer and closer towards them, before being able to show itself in full view right at the top of the steps. The distinguishable blue suit, yellow toned skin and engraved N marking on his forehead made him instantly recognisable.

"Senator Cortex!" Fletch called out to him.

"I knew I'd be needed somehow", the Senator remarked while punching the air. "What problem do you have?"

"Look, we have a tool that Mario used to get inside the building", Fletch briefly stated concerning the functionalities of the Wing Cap. "But it won't let us."

Fletch then walked towards Darkwing, reclaimed the Wing Cap from his hands and showed it towards Cortex. The senator brought his own hands towards it and looked at it himself, then at the doors. He then gave out a shaken sigh.

"I'd call it tight security now. Ariel has changed a lot of ideals around during his time of rule here. Why, I just don't know."

At the sound of the remark, Fletch sighed with tension, knowing that in the end the Wing Cap was proven to be useless. Feeling defeated, he lowered his head to the floor and hung his arms as loose as sausages in a butcher's shop.

"Luckily, there's another way to get inside", Cortex spoke again, this time with a rare smile showing on his face. "Stand back because this may take more room than implied."

Fletch soon looked up, focusing upon Cortex as he made his way straight towards the front door. Expecting more lasers to shoot out, Fletch ended up shielding his eyesight, hoping not to see anything crucial happen as a result.

Several seconds later, he heard nothing. He regained his focus, only to see Cortex placing one of his hands upon the door. And upon contact, a mild blue aura managed to surround the panel itself.

"By the order of Senator Neo Cortex, I command you to open the door for access to the Senatorial Housing!"

With his exclamation, the aura started to give off several pulses of energy, sending them around his immediate area like sound waves from a boom box. Upon the sight of them getting more intense, he soon released his grip upon the door.

He then ended up turning towards Fletch, revealing that he had some sort of wristband underneath one of his sleeves – possibly the tool required to pass through the tough security, the boy thought to himself.

In that amount of time, the door flashed a bright shade of cyan, before quickly fading out and allowing the door to open slowly. The hallways of the building were seen easily from several footsteps away from the door.

"You did it!" Fletch cheered from nearby. "Thank you very much! I never thought you'd turn out to be so useful around here."

"I know", Cortex spoke with doubt. "But I still feel worried about seeing the rest of the Senate in this state."

Cortex lowered his head, thinking so much about his more differing methods to aid the city's restoration. But his feelings were soon challenged as soon as Fletch came to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Look, you only did what you thought was right in the end. We can't deny that. We already went through this talk two days ago. Now, let's go inside the building and track down the last Samaritan!"

Fletch pointed straight towards the door, holding his spear with one hand. Looking determined, he made a brisk march straight towards the steps that lead directly inside the lobby of the building itself.

The others soon followed one by one, though amongst the group, Cortex still looked insecure about his re-approaching towards the Senatorial Housing. As far as he was concerned, he didn't approach the building for several days at a time.

Yet, so much could have happened in those several days. The longer the delay he would spend between when he left the building and his re-union with the rest of the Senate, the tenser he could be. He knew that the time to act was now.

* * *

As the group went further and further into the heart of the Senatorial Housing, the hallways started to get darker and more damaged. Fletch looked around, and started to see chandeliers barely remaining firm upon their respective ceilings, picture frames about to fall off and various vases shattered into thousands of pieces. 

Looking fearful that something might have happened, he took a hold onto Darkwing's arm, whom in turn held onto that for Cortex, whom consequently held onto Ratchet's arm; the lombax then gave off a disgruntled shake of the head.

Their shadows continued to extend as the mood became tenser and the light from outside started to gain a significantly more red tint with each passing second. It was as if they were in a preliminary scene for a horror movie.

"So by Cortex's description, there's 9 staff other than Ariel and himself that work here", Jade summarised the current situation. "But how do we find out who's the Samaritan?"

"Do you remember what Blaze said about the emblems they wore?" Fletch replied back. "We have those to turn back to."

Fletch looked towards Darkwing, whom was seen struggling to hold all three emblems together in his arms. Suddenly, one started to fall but before it could do that, Fletch grabbed onto it and held it with his own two hands. The obvious dragon marking on the back showed that to be Spyro's.

"We have emblems from Spyro, Rayman and Mario. But what happened to the others?"

"I have two of them", Cortex reacted with a light smile. "However, odds are Ripto might have found Guardian Jak's by now."

In response, Cortex went inside his coat and pulled out two more green emblems. The marking of the hedgehog on the back of one of which showed that one to be Sonic's emblem, which was held alongside a similar emblem, except its back had the silhouette of a rat-like creature's head, complete with pointed ears.

"I found Sonic's after abducting him, and I was entrusted with Crash's as he almost always loses things."

"I never thought he'd end up doing that", Fletch shook his head with semi-embarrassment. "But still, up to now, they just served as keys to the city's many districts. Maybe it's a gift from the Samaritans to explore everywhere we can."

"You're on", Ratchet said quietly as he came to a complete stop. "Still, this place must be huge. We might end up taking a while."

Ratchet looked on ahead, seeing a set of double doors ahead and similar looking doors to their left and right. Looking towards a window just before the left turn showed that that route would lead towards what seemed like a storage area. Being curious over the best route of the remaining two doors, he walked towards the door to the right first.

He opened that door and saw nothing more than another dark corridor; he squinted his eyes, and saw the end in sight, which was nothing more than a way to a bathroom. He sighed, closed the door and walked towards the one ahead, but before he could open it, the sound of a rumble was felt upon his feet.

"Duck!" he exclaimed while pointing towards the door ahead.

In response, the entire group ducked towards the ground, just in time to see the door in front of them blown off from its hinges. A red aura shot above the group, finally landing on a nearby dresser, causing a flowerpot to fall over and smash and meet the same fate as the other damaged porcelain pottery.

"That blast came from the conference room!" Cortex shouted as he pointed towards the doorway.

"Right", Fletch shouted while gaining his standing position. "You lead us there, and we'll do the rest."

Cortex responded with a nod, proceeding to put away Crash's and Sonic's emblems inside his coat at the same time. Fletch and Darkwing followed on by stashing away the emblems they found together.

They all ran straight through the doors in front of them, seeing a more damaged corridor than what was seen in the route that they took prior to their arrival. The checked tiles on the floor were cracked, tears were seen in the wallpaper, and the door ahead was seen almost burnt to a crisp.

Cortex pointed towards the door, indicating that that would be their next stop – the Conference room. There was no time to waste; whatever the source of the aura was, the fact remained that they were there for one reason – to locate the last of the Samaritans.

* * *

The conference room, where the rest of the Senate usually met with one another, was seen in a more deranged state than what has been usually imagined. The main table was smashed into multiple parts, the chairs were similarly tossed around and damaged, and the large window that graced one of the walls was completely broken. 

In one corner of the room, Ripto was seen making his walk straight towards one of the corners of the room, where a large mound was seen covered in wooden rubble. He soon made his walk straight towards it, pointing his sceptre forward.

Several paces later, he came to a stop, with his feet only just being inches away from it. He then took a hold onto some of the rubble with his other hand and tossed them behind him, further causing damage to the main table upon landing.

"Say your prayers, Samaritan", he cackled deviously. "You're my last remaining step to ensure that I follow up as Ariel's successor."

Several thrown slabs later soon showed the mound to be clearer. Yet it wasn't just any set of mound – it was a very tall figure. The figure of the Prime Chancellor was seen deep within the wreckage, knocked out cold and thus completely unaware of his current surroundings.

"I'm glad the chloroform did you good. I wouldn't have want to put up with any more of those cries for mercy after what I faced from my previous two prisoners."

"Hold it right there!" screamed a voice from behind him.

The door leading inside the conference room was swung open violently, almost causing it to fall from one of its hinges. Fletch soon stepped inside, and looked around the ruined room before focusing on the corner where Ripto and the Prime Chancellor were.

Upon seeing the sorcerer's face, he retaliated by gritting his teeth, withdrawing his spear and posing, urging to strike. His opponent retaliated by using his sceptre in a strikingly similar stance to the boy's.

"Ripto?" Fletch questioned with surprise. "How did you get inside?"

"YOU again? I thought I saw the last of you on top of Mario's blazing apartment block!"

"You're not getting away with this. You're not taking the last Samaritan", Fletch acted defensive as he tried to identify with the Prime Chancellor. "Uh… whoever he is."

"That's not _any_ Senate member", Cortex spoke while shaking his head with fear. "That's the Prime Chancellor - the King of All Cosmos!"

"So true", Ripto sneered while nodding his head. "With you having easy connections to him, we made a deal to save him till last. But now that you're out of it, you'll NEVER become an Emperor!"

"Neither will you!"

Cortex managed to push his way through the rest of the team and withdrew his laser gun as he made his progress. Once he was merely several meters away from Ripto, he pointed his weapon straight towards his head.

"You've come so far, and yet, you'll fall at a hurdle on a path that you shouldn't have taken in the first place!"

"You're asking for a fight, are you?" Ripto growled as he pointed his sceptre slightly higher. "You've had it!"

In retaliation, Ripto pointed his sceptre into the air, causing a series of falling sparks to fall straight towards the ground. The group retaliated by stepping back, only just missing their feet by several inches.

He then summoned a platform upon his feet, causing him to rise straight into the air with such powerful creative magic. Another wave of his weapon caused what looked like a spiked shielded barrier to show up around him.

He cackled as he saw that he was in a position to do whatever attacks possible without the possibility of getting hurt. The sight of that somehow left Fletch to push through the rest of the team and look up at him.

"We need to get past his defences, everyone!" He commanded the rest of the team… before going quiet. "But how do we do it? I don't think that I can get through with my spear!"

"Let me handle it!"

Cortex soon stepped forward, pointing his laser straight into the air. All that Ripto could do was cackle at the sight of his weapon. That in turn resulted in the senator starting to end up with a red face.

He retaliated by withdrawing his jet board, mounting onto it and flying into the air, shooting the weapon while noting a weak spot near the feet – the more exposed areas of his defences according to the position of the spikes on his shield.

"How slow do you seem to be?" the Senator cackled viciously. "You may be powerful, but you won't overcome my flight speed!"

Ripto roared as he felt the laser shots go against his feet. He then retaliated by disintegrating several spikes from the shield and taking the opportunity to launch various red orbs towards the senator.

In response, Cortex flew away – upside down on the jet board – and made his flight towards the ceiling of the room. Maintaining his position, he continued to find gaps in the shield to shoot towards the sorcerer.

"Incoming!"

The continuous laser shots soon caused the shield to disintegrate more and more, up until the last of the spikes managed to fizz away into nothing. All that Ripto could do was react with flying away from that part of the room.

It didn't take long before Cortex started aiming for the crystal platform that he was seen hovering on. Several dozen shots later, the platform disintegrated, and Ripto was sent flying towards the floor.

"This must be mine!" Fletch cheered as he made his pacing towards the scene.

Fletch then rushed to Ripto as he made his fall towards the ruins of the large table. He looked up from his position and saw the boy towering over him, his spear pointing straight down towards the sorcerer.

There, he retaliated by waving his spear into the air, trying to inflict whatever damage possible while finding ways to get past Ripto's blockages with his sceptre. It didn't take long until the latter was close to getting cornered.

"Knock it off!" He exclaimed as he used a red magical aura to generate a light barrier around him. "Get out of here, you miserable brat!"

There, he responded by using his sceptre to make similar attacks to what Fletch managed to pull off with his own weapon. But in comparison to how the boy attacked, he also threw in some magical flares among his attack range, trying to blind his opponent.

They managed to cause an effect on Fletch, which somehow made his attacks slightly less frequent than the usual. He then resorted to using the spear as a way of blocking whatever attacks came from Ripto.

"He sure can possess some physical strength as well", Fletch pondered out loud.

"Don't worry about that", Cortex responded from behind. "I'll try and give you a hand!"

He looked up, and saw Cortex hovering near the ceiling, being able to hold onto his jet board as he did so. It didn't take long until he managed to position himself at the head of the room, onto the ruins of the chair that the Prime Chancellor usually sat on.

He then withdrew his laser and aimed towards Fletch and Ripto, both of them still engaged in fighting. He focused hard upon the latter, ready to make his move. The trigger was pulled… but that resulted in nothing coming out; looking close at the fuel compartment, he noted that there was no energy remaining.

"My ammo!" he exclaimed with a panicked expression. "What… what's going on? How can I run dry on a date like this?"

"I'll take it from here."

Sora managed to step in front of Cortex, aiming his key straight towards Fletch and Ripto. Knowing that it could take a while to separate the pair, there was an action that could still be taken in response.

"POWER!" he exclaimed while clutching his free fist to his chest.

"Not again…!" Darkwing frowned as he was lifted into the air by a purple aura.

The glow from his key caused Darkwing to end up being towed towards Sora, soon making his landing towards the key bearer. They both fused again, once again resulting in his clothes turning purple.

Sora first retaliated by using his keyblade to shoot various plasma shots towards Ripto, trying to separate him from Fletch. Yet, the intensity of his red flares made it difficult to land perfect shots from the current floor angle.

"Sora, hop on!" exclaimed a voice to his left.

The shout caused Sora to look to his left and see Cortex hovering nearby on his jet board. Having understood the capabilities of the technology behind it, the key bearer somehow knew that the senator was onto something.

And so he hovered his way towards the jet board itself and stood firm upon it. Then, they both took off towards the ceiling. Cortex then crouched down and locked himself onto the board with his hands and knees as the board then performed a few barrel rolls; Sora, however, managed to find a way to connect his feet so that he would never fall off when the board went upside down.

"Let's do this!" Sora exclaimed with confidence as he spun his keyblade around effortlessly.

Still hanging upside down, Sora pointed the key towards Ripto and Fletch, this time being able to come close enough to inflict some more significant damage. By then, the attacks by the former started to become significantly less frequent.

Several shots later, it soon got to the point that there were so many of Sora's shots that managed to rebound all over the conference room, causing Ripto to start to retreat away from Fletch and try to dodge the shots himself.

"He's running around like a headless chicken!" Ratchet remarked to Fletch from the sidelines. "What should we do?"

"Ratchet!" Fletch called out to him. "Let's whack their shots back! We'll do it!"

And after making that remark, Fletch and Ratchet stood together, back to back, holding onto their spear and wrench respectively, ready to take aim upon the flying purple plasma shots that flew over their heads.

They soon got started in deflecting them, attempting to strike them towards Ripto. Some shots managed to strike onto his body, while some of the others ended up flying out of the broken windows.

"Jade! Spidey!" Joanna called out to the remaining comrades.

Joanna turned back towards Jade and Spider-Man, whom were seen trying to shield themselves from the guidelines. Then, they knew that no matter how involved the others were, their input would still matter greatly.

In response, Spidey managed to shoot a web stream towards the ceiling and ascend towards it, before going straight back down – once again being able to create what seemed like a manual lifting system, just like when they fought Cortex at the John Moors district.

And then, he followed his move with allowing for Joanna to come underneath the same spot on the ceiling where the mechanism was located. She secured the web around her waist and then allowed for Spidey to hoist her up to the ceiling.

"What are you doing?" Ripto frowned towards his adversaries.

Among the plasma shots sent by Sora and deflected by Fletch and Ratchet, Joanna decided to send in several pistol shots of her own being deflected by Jade from the ground, the bullets being covered in a bright blue aura upon being touched. Many more of them managed to inflict damage towards Ripto's body, but in spite of that, he was still on hand to raise his sceptre to the air and allow a scarlet glow around it.

"LIMIT BREAK!!!"

And from the tip of the sceptre, several waves of red light energy started to shatter their way across the room, causing a burning set of lights to strike upon the bodies of the personnel inside the room.

Upon fading out, it was seen that the entire room was completely broken down, so that the rooms that connected it were seen through broad and visible cracks in the wall. Many of the personnel were also seen knocked out and sent towards the ground. Even Darkwing was separated from Sora's body and was left unconscious with his head stuck in a set of nearby rubble. All that Ripto could do was cackle with delight as he saw his surroundings.

"You're almost mine! Your journey is just about to make its end right here, losers!"

"Not as long as I'm here!" exclaimed a nearby voice.

The shout caused him to stop and look. Looking to the left and right left him to see nothing but ruins all around him. All that the sorcerer could do was blink with confusion… all before hearing a light knock on a nearby wall.

"What???" Ripto reacted with shock.

And through the wall itself, Fletch managed to break his way through, revealing himself to have guarded himself well against Ripto's limit break. Withdrawing his spear once again, he then used it to trap the sorcerer's cape into the floor.

"AAAARGGH!!!"

Ripto tried to retaliate by withdrawing his sceptre once again and pointing it towards the boy, but before he could even respond, Fletch managed to knock it out of his hands, sending it skidding its way across to the other side of the room.

Trying to free himself from the spear's tight grasp, Ripto tried to tug onto the floor and hold onto whatever tiles were stuck out near him. But in spite of his best efforts, nothing could seem to happen.

Having seen that the sorcerer has become stuck, Fletch then took it upon his own duty and make his walk towards the creature, before standing in front of him eye to eye. A look filled with disgust was shown upon him.

"Leave the Samaritan alone, Ripto", Fletch growled bitterly towards him. "You're not going to conquer this world with such a weak taskforce like that."

"Please", the prophet began to whimper. "You must be facing a mistake!"

"We are aware that you want to use six of the Samaritans to rule the city yourself. You are officially the greediest creature we have seen around here."

"STOP!" shouted a mystery voice.

The shout caused both figures to pause in their tracks, all before looking towards the front door. In spite of one half of the entrance being obscured by rubble and the door being knocked down, a figure was still clearly visible.

To their point of view, it was a very familiar female figure. The devil wings and tail managed to give everything away over her identity, causing both Fletch's and Ripto's eyes to widen simultaneously.

"Acting Guardian Etna?" Fletch identified her. "What are you doing here?"

"You know exactly what I'm doing", she growled bitterly. "I'm here to take away the attackers of this innocent young toad."

Fletch was taken aback at the response. "What?"

Ripto similarly responded with an awkward glare. "Etna, don't you DARE refer to me as a toad ever again!!"

Etna soon folded her arms, twitching her tail gently. "Fletch, face the facts - you tried to kill him. Not only that, but the Chancellor also looks close to death!"

"But Ripto said it was chlorofo-"

"SILENCE! I've had enough of your pathetic lies, especially since you came here to make many cruel assassinations around here."

And with a scowl on her face, she made her approach towards Fletch, taking several devious stamps towards him. That caused the boy to end up taking several steps back, before being cornered on a nearby wall.

He looked to his left and saw the King of All Cosmos, still out cold from entering the room to begin with. He looked to his right and saw the broken windows. Unless there was any escape from Etna, he knew that there was going to be no way out.

"You have to be kidding!" Fletch screamed with panic. "You gave me the spear, and you wished me on my merry way! Why are you confronting me like this?"

"Perhaps I did give something to you", she started, "but it's the treatment of it that counts. You know what happens from here."

She then scowled as she managed to reach for Fletch's spear, instantly taking a hold of it herself. For that, she now knew that once again, the boy has become absolutely defenceless – not a hope that he will ever be able to strike back from the coming situation.

"Guards, send them to jail!"

Not long after she chanted, a group of prinnies managed to make their way into the room. Two of which managed to surround Fletch and take a hold of him by their hands; she then stepped out of the way as they towed him away.

"Etna, what are you doing?" he tried to ask her.

Her eyes were fixed more on the prinnies than the boy. "Send them to the dungeons, before I reduce your salaries!"

She pointed towards the door, where the prinnies continued to pull the personnel through the door. Knowing that Fletch had faced a grim way through, he looked towards the rest of his surroundings.

Only this time, he knew that his friends won't be of much help to get him out of that mess, as they would all together be sent towards a dark and dangerous location for an unspecified amount of time.

"It's only a matter of time before the city will face its most glorious moments in existence", she cackled more deviously than the usual. "Thank you very much."

With that remark, she walked towards the middle of the room and looked around her. She saw damaged doors and windows around her, the smell of fear in the air and the presence of Ripto not too far from her.

With a relieved smile, the sorcerer made his walk towards her and soon made a step towards her right hand side. Holding each others' hands, they both looked on at their immediate surroundings together.

The red skies outside shaded their bodies with a tint of a sinister expressive atmosphere. In addition, the rubble and decay around the room made then realise one thing has come through as a result.

The time of the Senate of Theoropolis as they know it has cased and desisted.

_-end of chapter-_


	15. Prisoner!

AUTHOR'S NOTES

And so the briefer chapters are continuing on. I could say thanks again for all responses but I'd sound like a cliche :p

Either way, what we saw from the previous chapter was a bit of a rough end for Fletch and co. The last Samaritan had been knocked out with Chloroform, the Senate has fallen to disarray and Fletch is sent to prison while being revoked of his spear in the process, all because of a confrontation with Ripto, now a prime candidate to become the city's next Emperor. How do we get out of this one?

The result is a chapter that seemed to keep getting lighter as I kept revising it, but this is what we get when Etna's cronies are primarily prinnies. I swear, those monsters are among the best things in the Disgaea set of games.

I hope this goes on well. And I swear that one of these days we will return to the standard Monday upload times. My apologies for the lateness, AGAIN.

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_Days passed since the article concerning Akumi's parents arrived in the paper. In the first week or so we didn't gain much response relating to the subject matter, but we did face a lot of support from the local townsfolk concerning our mission._

_Just looking at them expressing their gratitude may not have been the best solution to the matter, but it was just what I needed to be able to keep going, even if it is only for the sake of making Akumi happy again._

_Regardless, not long after that event, I went to collect the letters from the postman as the usual. Searching them, I noted something different in the usual bills and letters exchanged from Han – something that could make the newspaper excursion worthwhile._

"_Akumi, you've got mail!"_

_I shouted inside the house, hoping to gain much of a response from her. Then I finally heard footsteps from above, and in a dash she made her way downstairs donning a sky blue dressing gown and what looked like green dragon slippers._

"_Who would send me something at this time of year?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "It's not even Christmas."_

"_I say take a read anyway. It could be important."_

_I passed the envelope to Akumi, whom was left to inspect the cover for herself. Lo and behold, the address was specifically stated towards her and not me or mother. Her face showed curiousness as she turned the envelope around and started opening it really carefully._

_The contents showed a letter, folded up into quarter pieces. She unfolded it, and started reading it; curious as to know what was going on, I peeked over her shoulder, wondering what she might have faced._

_**Dear Miss Davis,**_

_**It has been a long time since I last saw you face to face. I would imagine that you have grown into a beautiful young lady by now. The thought of failing to see you since your transfer to your new family has made my heart as cold as the midnight sky.**_

_**With that said, I would love to hear everything about you – try and catch up on the years that we have missed. Even though we are far apart, we are still to be considered a part of each other.**_

_**I would love to hear back from you. I miss you very much.**_

_**-A.D.W.-**_

_As soon as she finished reading, she started to shed a tear. But this time, it wasn't one of her usual anguish – it was one of pure happiness. If I was in her shoes, I would probably react in a similar fashion._

"'_A.D.W.'?" she asked, puzzled. "Is that… my dad?"_

"_He still sounds secretive", I started to reply, "but I hope this could be a help to get back in touch with your parents. I'm glad a reply came through."_

"_I am too – I love you so much for doing this for me!"_

_With a really girlish scream, she went towards me and hugged me right across my chest. The pain felt like I was being crushed by a giant nutcracker at the same speed of a rocket ship taking off._

"_What can I do to repay you?" she continued to shout in a high pitched voice that could contest with that of a dolphin's._

_I would have found room to respond if the grasp didn't close on my lungs like that. Eventually I brought my arms out and freed myself, falling onto the sofa as I managed to regain my balance once more._

"_You can start by not hugging me so tight", I sighed back. "But seriously; if there's anything I may need your help with, I'll see you about it."_

_And in response, I gave her a light grasp upon her wrist back. This time she didn't react with a tight grasp, but rather a gentle smile. There was something so warm about it that has made me feel good all of a sudden._

_It didn't take long before I released my grasp and started making my walk towards the stairs. Walking gently towards the stairwell, I soon turned back towards Akumi, whom was seen jumping up and down, waving her hands in the air – unusual activity for someone who's nearly a foot taller than me._

"_I love you, bro!"_

_The remark made my face light up again. Though we may not be blood related, I still felt so proud to see her refer to me as a "brother", in the sense of being a loyal figure that has been with her for almost all of her life._

_With my face being just as relaxed as hers, I started making my walk upstairs, still feeling happy about the mission being a success. As soon as I reached the top, I made my walk straight towards my room._

_There was definitely no mistake on what I would do next. With Akumi's happiness being at an all time high, it was only fair that I got myself ready for a fantastic several days ahead, starting with making a telephone call to Han to tell him everything. I just hope he reacts just as well as we both did upon receiving that letter._

_I don't know how long it would be until we would meet Akumi's biological father, but I would assume it wouldn't be too soon.  
_

* * *

Day 6

_Theoropolis Jailhouse, Philips Cosmopolitan District – 6:55PM_

The sun was seen at the western side of the city, with the last few sets of light vanishing into the distance, sending the entire city back into a simmering red, blue and purple twilight canvas in the sky.

But underneath the Senatorial Housing, a different scenario was afoot. Fletch and his group were being transported through dark passages, going further south from the housing's original spot; all before leading towards a long line of prison cells.

The boy looked towards them all and saw various imprisoned personnel within the cells inside. Their hopelessness left him to feel upset himself, knowing that he could understand what kind of situation they might have undergone just to get there.

"Dood, we don't have enough prison cells to store the latest captives!" one of the prinnies asked the other.

"It doesn't mean we don't have enough room. We'll let them share with someone."

The prinnies kept on walking, dragging their captives towards a series of cells to their right. By then, Fletch looked on at the others, many of which being knocked out from the fight; all with the exception of Senator Cortex, whom was slowly starting to come to his senses once again.

"Let's dump them here!" the second prinny commanded.

Fletch tried to look towards the prinnies, but before he could do anything, a cell to their right was swung open, causing them to end up throwing the group inside the cell one by one. Both Fletch and Cortex were thrown in first, both of which landing flat on their fronts.

Darkwing, Jade and Joanna were then tossed next, being hurled into a corner, crumpled among one another. Fletch looked back and saw the cruel treatment of their arrival, leaving him to growl at the sight.

Ratchet, Sora and Spidey were all tossed together next, though unlike the others, they somehow started to come to their senses as soon as they landed. That gave Fletch time to respond by running towards the prinnies, but before anything could happen, the door completely slammed shut. He held onto the bars, trying to shake as hard as possible onto them.

"Let us out!" he cried out with strain. "You can't keep us in like this!"

"That's right!" exclaimed Cortex as he joined in with him. "I'm a Senate member and I didn't do anything to get locked up like this!"

"We didn't either", a nearby voice said grimly, "but they wouldn't listen to us."

The voice caused the group to end up looking towards another corner nearby. Right there were two other figures – one wearing a blue uniform similar to Cortex's, and the other wearing a pink uniform and a long dress. As far as the senator was concerned, those figures were very familiar to him.

"Senator Peppy Hare?" Cortex gasped. "And… the Queen of All Cosmos?"

"It was all so hopeless", the Queen frowned. "We tried everything we can to defend the Prime Chancellor, but they locked us up before we could get a chance. Odds are the other Senators might have hidden away with fear by now."

In response, she ended up sighing and shaking her head, looking down with her eyes filling with despair through each passing moment. It soon got to the point that she buried her face into her lap, with her arms completely covering her head.

"I didn't realise it would all come to this. My dear, dear husband…"

Amidst her developing sobs, Peppy looked over to her and edged closer. There, he placed an arm around her shoulder, stroking it gently with a fatherly expression towards her. He treated her back with utmost care upon stroking her.

"There now, madam", he calmly responded back. "Everything will come to light in the end, and I feel that your husband will make his re-arrival safe and sound."

Upon his words, the Queen then brought her head up from her lap, before shifting her eyes towards Peppy. Though she still looked insecure, he might have a point. Yet, regardless of the result, she still looked as if hope was fading all around her.

"I still feel hopeless being towed in here", she sighed miserably. "As long as we're inside the prison cell, there's nothing we can do."

Once again, she looked straight down, knowing that she was too powerless to do anything. Nearby, Fletch gave out a similarly upset look towards them, before focusing towards the doors that separated them from the dark corridors.

"So here we are in a prison cell, with two captives that don't even know their own way out. And unless some miracle happens like someone coming through the back walls looking for us, I don't think we'll get out alive."

"Yeah", Ratchet frowned as he stood up and walked towards the boy. "I feel unsafe being placed in here like this, especially at such a rough time like this."

"Ratchet, Fletch, why would you both think so negatively?" asked Sora as he came to approach them. "In the end, Fox's team would be bound to come here and save us. If they thought we were in a tough situation, they would easily try and track us down no matter what the cost."

With a confident look, Sora ended up folding his arms and smiling back. That, however, managed to catch attention towards Spider-Man, whom instantly sat up from his position at the back of the room and walking towards him and Ratchet.

"That's true, but you're forgetting one thing Sora", Spidey started to lecture. "How are they to get past the doors to get inside the Senatorial Housing? I don't think any of the other Senate members would get through the doors to help out Fox and co."

"Come on, it's worth a shot!" Sora replied. "Fox has the closest connections with the Senate in the entire city. He surely must find out sooner or later that we're not at some lousy tea party!"

"That sounds fair. Yet, if I had to choose between that and fighting some short orange prophet, I'd rather opt for the tea party myself."

Sora gave out a blank stare towards Spidey and the remark that he gave out. There, all he could do is shake his head and make a brief walk towards a corner of the room, sitting down with his legs far apart.

Eventually, Fletch, Ratchet, Spidey and Cortex all sat down at different areas of the cell they were in, knowing that no matter what kind of effort they could pull off to escape, there was no way that they will ever make it out alive.

Thinking back about Spidey's words about citizens of Theoropolis fading from existence once they are lesser known about among the outside world, they knew that they were in a dead end situation. As far as Fletch was concerned, this was purgatory.

* * *

Later that night, Ripto ended up making his way through the remains of the Senatorial Housing. Though the front half was starting to fall apart, the hallways that eventually lead out to Cortex's old study and Ariel's room remained intact.

As he stood in front of the large golden doors that lead towards the latter, he gave out a sinister smirk. Holding his sceptre in one hand and a purple crystal in another, he knew that he was one step closer to assuming a leading role for the city.

He was about to make his step inside, but before he could even touch the doorknob, he heard a series of footsteps from behind. There, Etna was seen making her way, though in contrast to her usual Imaginarium uniform, she was wearing the pink uniform of the Secretary position for the Theoropolis Senate, a long floor-trailing skirt included.

"Okay, so I may be Beauty Queen Etna, but this oversized skirt?" she frowned as she looked down at her feet. "This uniform is getting way too ridiculous."

"You could always try to shrink it in the wash", Ripto suggested. "It works wonders if you need to show off any leg room."

Etna looked down at herself and tried to lift up one of her legs, but no matter how high she could raise it, she would fail to see the tips of her toes underneath the clothing. She gave off an angry sigh as she just raised the cloth slightly, as if she was a princess getting ready to run somewhere.

In the meantime, Ripto managed to open up the doors to the study, revealing the place to look similar to Cortex's in structure, except there was a significant increase in the amount of ornaments and furniture that managed to grace it. It was as if he just walked into a modern day gold mine.

"Either way, I want to pass on my thanks for making me your personal secretary", Etna spoke with enthusiasm. "I've always wanted a position this high up in the ranks!"

"Etna, as deceitful as you may be", Ripto remarked while turning towards her, "you rightfully deserved what you got. You have been one of my closest ties to the whole kidnapping exploit since it began."

"Really?"

"I really mean it. Your cunning combined with your knowledge on Guardian Jak has helped you gain a strong threshold on Ariel's downfall. I couldn't ask for a better vassal."

With a smile, he looked towards Etna and pointed his sceptre on at him as if he would attempt to knight her. She gave out a cackle at the gesture, her cheeks showing that she was starting to feel almost too flattered for herself.

"There's only one thing left to do if we need to get the entire ordeal finalised", Ripto addressed as he pointed his sceptre into the air. "And that is to dominate the city."

"Even if we are only in possession of six Samaritans?" Etna reminded the prophet.

"I know we're missing Crash, but who needs a retarded bandicoot anyway? He'd probably just be seasoning if Ariel ever gives him up."

Sighing, he turned towards the window, where the dark night skies were seen starting to peek through. The moonlight streamed through the window, lighting up his face with a moderate pale green glow among his usual orange tones.

"Until then, rest up", he ordered her. "We have a serious parade to go through tomorrow. And the public will be so proud that Ariel will never be pestering them anymore!"

"You got that right. Congratulations."

With that remark, Etna took another step towards Ripto, and another, and another. As soon as she was close towards him, she crouched down towards his face level and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

He reacted with shock - his pupils shrunk to the size of breadcrumbs, and his cheeks started to blush a deep maroon red color. He then looked towards Etna with a slightly embarrassed look upon him.

Knowing that she might have overdone the praise, Etna quickly lifted her skirt again and made a dash out of the room, with sweat starting to come down her face and her arms starting to shake. It can be seen clearly on her face that she may never attempt anything like that ever again.

* * *

Day 7

_Theoropolis Jailhouse, Philips Cosmopolitan District – 8:45AM_

A new day soon came, with the sun creeping over the horizon. The roofs of the jailhouse were seen glistening with a strong, blistering golden color all around it, making it look more like a royal home than a criminal asylum.

Near the roof, Fletch was seen climbing out, pleased to know that he managed to make the escape all by himself. Dirt was seen covering his body, showing the strain he faced in getting out – presumably by digging his way.

He then ended up seeing Han at the other side of the roof, standing there and looking at him. Gasping, he made his run towards him, wanting to confront him once again. As soon as he stood there, he ended up taking a hold of Fletch's shoulders and started shaking him around as if he was a rag doll. The strain caused his face to show shock upon receiving them.

"Fletch? Fletch!"

The visions around him started to blur once more, shifting from the bright colors around him to darker and dingier ones. Han's face also faded too, shifting from that to another familiar face – Sora.

"Fletch, wake up. You may be surprised on what we've been dealing with."

"Huh?" he asked faintly and tiredly.

Fletch tried to gain his senses. He saw himself lying on the floor of the cell that they were in, his body half-covered in a mass of hay on one of the walls of the room. That vision with Han might have been a dream, he thought to himself.

Looking half-asleep, he sat up and tried to absorb his surroundings. He did take notice to the rest of the cell's residents standing around one another at one corner of the cell, making conversations with one another. Seeing them eye to eye, Sora made his walk back towards them.

"I think he needs time to come to. In the meantime, we need to run through the plan again in case people forget any details." The key bearer soon pointed to Senator Hare. "Peppy?"

"Let's see, I start by pretending to choke. I'll still need to improvise a cause on it."

"Right", Sora nodded. "Spidey?"

"Peppy's reactions will cause the prinnies to come inside, and then…"

The discussion continued onwards, showing all sorts of insane discussion ideas. Fletch tried to take in what they were saying, but the dark and dreary conditions made it hard for him to be able to concentrate.

He did notice that they were having fun with their discussions, eventually breaking into laughs every now and again. Though he couldn't tell what they were laughing at, he couldn't help but smile back with them.

Meanwhile, near the other end of the corridor, two prinnies were seen making their walk towards the cell, armed with a frying pan each. The sounds of the conversation were soon picked up by them, causing them to look at each other with confusion.

"What do you think they're on about at this time of day, dood?" asked the first one.

"Beats me", the other replied back. "I think the gruel must have got to their heads."

The first prinny gave out a shrug towards the second, before they both resumed their walk towards the cell. Two other prinnies stood there, and it was there that the two pairs swapped places when it came to their shifts.

Upon noticing the change, the group in front of them managed to quieten down, leaving them to whisper any further ideas towards one another. The change in dynamics left both prinnies to look at each other, looking more confused than they were when they entered the hallway.

Among the group, more procedures were stated, with Sora starting to nod with understanding through each passing response. Eventually, he pointed towards Joanna, whom started to show just as much as an enthusiastic look as the key bearer.

"And finally the gondolier switch will be flipped, causing us to reach the surface", she gasped with a face showing success. "Yes, we've got it!"

"Well done, everyone", Sora applauded. "We'll get through this just fine."

"But Sora, I only just woke up", said Fletch as he gave out an audible yawn. "Do you expect me to tow through this kind of situation shivering and deprived of food?"

"I'd rather go hungry than be fed gruel at 5 in the morning. You just got lucky."

Fletch's eyes widened. True, he felt as if he didn't have gruel before, but whether it could make any difference on his strength or not could be a question that might not get answered for time to come.

Shrugging, he then stood up and looked on at the group. Still wondering what kind of procedure they could pull off to try and escape the cell, all he could do was lightly smile with an expression of great anticipation.

* * *

Minutes passed, and Sora was seen closely observing Fletch. His senses started to become more alert over passing time, and it was after roughly half an hour that he managed to give the thumbs up towards Senator Hare.

As if he was a Hollywood actor, he ended up falling onto his hands and knees, lowering his head down to the floor. His ears then flopped down over his head and touching the floor, matching his painful expression.

"Help…" he then proceeded to cough while combining it with chokes and splutters. "Help me!"

"What?" the first prinny paid attention. "What's going on, dood?"

"Senator Hare must have faced a heart attack!" exclaimed the other.

"Should we leave him dead or help him out, dood?"

"Etna would leave him for dead anyway. She'd have our heads if we even do ANY good deeds at a place like this."

Both prinnies shrugged at each other and looked over at the scene, wondering what would happen to Peppy next. Several seconds passed, and his breathing was shown to be more broken than the usual, causing them to look more concerned.

"My… my glasses…" Peppy spoke weakly. "I think I swallowed my glasses…"

"I never thought I'd see that excuse, dood", shrugged the first prinny.

"My silver designer glasses are stuck down my throat! I can… barely breathe…"

Upon being alerted, both prinnies looked at each other, with streams of sweat starting to come down their faces. One tried to speak, but couldn't; the other resorted by hitting it on the head with its own frying pan.

"Silver designer glasses?" the second prinny asked with a raised voice.

"Dood, he stole one of Etna's!"

"Let's get it!"

And so, they both made their walk towards the cell and opened it up with its keys, stashed away in the second prinny's pouch. Upon unlocking, they made a direct walk inside, ready to surround the Senator.

Their faces looked vile and sinister as they were set to recovering something that Etna might have lost. Yet, in the background, Sora's face didn't look too concerned, as he shifted his attention towards the ceiling.

"Spidey, NOW!"

In response, Spidey soon made his climb across the ceiling, released one of his hands from its grip and pointed it towards the two prinnies. A long stream of web managed to come out from his hand, flying towards the two guards.

As soon as they were about to take a grasp onto Peppy, they were soon covered in the web substance, leaving them to be held inside the sticky substance. They started to panic as they struggled to break out.

"What are you doing, dood?" one exclaimed with a scream.

"You can't trap us in a place like this!" panicked the other. "Are you trying to suffocate us?"

In the time that followed, they tried to tug hard on the web, but there was nothing that they could do when it came to trying to break out. All that most of the personnel could do was laugh at them as they struggled with each passing moment.

Nearby, Jade and Ratchet managed to stand on both sides of Sora, withdrawing their respective weapons as they looked on at the two of them. There, they took several paces closer and closer, ready to make their mark.

"Let's see if we can take care of business", Jade proclaimed while waving her Dai-Jo.

"You've got it!" Sora said as he withdrew his keyblade.

Ratchet held onto his wrench and twitched his tail at the same time. "I got the one on the right!"

And with that, Sora made his dash around towards the other side of the prinnies, with Jade and Ratchet side-stepping away from each other, standing as if they were points in an invisible triangle.

Then, Sora raised his keyblade into the air as soon as he got into position. That caused Jade and Ratchet to rush towards the two prinnies together, raising their weapons into the air as they continued to run.

"Uh-oh…!" they both muttered in unison.

As soon as they got there, they struck a prinny each across the chest and ultimately pushed them out of the web substance with their respective weapons. That left them both to fly to the ceiling, banging their heads as they touched it.

Ratchet made his assault to the prinny nearest to him, jumping up with his wrench and striking it with several blows across its stomach and juggling it in the air at the same time. He soon decided to give up after 15 seconds, knocking the creature down like a basketball.

Jade then made her assault on the other, though this time she used a combination of direct strikes and whatever auras her Dai-Jo could provide. Just like Ratchet, 15 seconds later she left the prinny to crash to the ground, though this time it ended up crashing down on top of the other.

Seeing the two prinnies looking close to almost passing out from the attacks, the group started to applaud one another as they saw their accomplishments. In almost complete haste, Fletch made his push away from the rest of the team and looked towards the open cell door ahead.

"They've been tossed aside!" exclaimed Fletch. "We need to get going!"

"Not so fast!"

There, the prinnies' eyes both started to refocus. And all of a sudden, they both jumped up on both feet, both looking as if the incident with the webs and the assault from Jade and Ratchet never happened.

"They seem agile", Jade spoke as she saw the prinnies move closer. "What should we do?"

"I think I might have an idea!"

Fletch tried to sidestep to the left and right, looking on at the prinnies' actions as he did so. They both did the same, very keen to adapt well to their strict job. That left him to pause slightly and think of another strategy.

All thoughts soon re-directed towards the time when he met Han for the first time since the picnic. Seeing him trying to harm him – his very own best friend – might have been painful for Fletch, but there was one thought that somehow kept coming back.

_Prinnies explode when thrown._

With that in mind, he started to move around on the floor while crouching down, eventually using his arms for support. To that extent, his moves showed a vague similarity to the standard movement of a chimpanzee.

He then started to swerve through the prinnies, being able to dodge almost every attack they tried to pull off. His movements soon got to the point that he was able to place himself behind one of which.

In haste, he took a hold of it and lifted it into the air – in spite of them almost being as big as him, they felt as light as a balloon. Smiling, he then threw the prinny towards the other, and just like that, a small explosion occurred around them, turning the two creatures into nothing but thin air.

"Nice shot, Fletch!"

The Queen then rushed towards the boy, offering her hand as she got there. Fletch then took a hold on hers, and together they were the first set of personnel to rush straight out towards the corridors.

"Let's see if we can make a race for the gondolier!" she instructed as she ran.

Fletch nodded and started to locate a gondolier – there was one that was located not too far from the cell they were near. But just before they were about to get there, five more prinnies came onto the scene, each of which armed with either frying pans or a broad dagger in each hand.

"More of them?" Fletch gasped with worry.

"They seem armed too", said Ratchet as he saw their arsenal. "How should we get past them?"

"Do a barrel roll!" Peppy exclaimed.

In response, most of the personnel looked back at Peppy with leers showing upon their faces. All he could do is shake his head and show a hesitant glance back, as he saw the prinnies stepping closer and closer.

"No, really", Peppy shouted with increased hesitance. "DO A BARREL ROLL!!!"

As his shout ended, one of the prinnies then jumped straight forward, holding its broad daggers tightly as it came closer. Most of the personnel showed shock as it continued to lunge straight towards them.

In a split-second reaction, Cortex withdrew his jet board, jumped onto it and – true to Peppy's word – barrel rolled out of the way before making a straight assault towards the side of the rampant prinny, holding onto the board with his hands and knees as he came closer.

"Eat this!"

The nose of the board then ended up striking the Prinny straight into the air, causing the senator to end up zooming further down the corridor and his opponent to soon start falling down as soon as the tip of its beak touched the ceiling.

"Incoming, dood!"

The prinny then started to make a quick descent, falling down with its head first. At the glance, some of the other prinnies started to panic, some of which cowering and some of which starting to run.

Then, the prinny struck the ground, causing another brief explosion to occur. Once again, all the prinnies then vanished straight into thin air, instantly vanquishing all trace of them. Nearby, Cortex was seen making his way straight back towards the group.

"Those guys were almost too easy", he smirked quietly. "Let's see if we can keep going on to the lift itself!"

He then made a stop near Fletch's feet, jumping off from the jet board and re-compressing it before he made his focus towards the gondolier. A simple turquoise platform was seen as a floor, complete with metallic structures that made it look more like a wire frame for a giant crystal dome.

The door was still seen as a locked structure, and with that in consideration, Darkwing locked his hands together as he went towards it. He then jumped onto it and took a hold of the handle, as if he was trying to climb up the door.

"Heave-HO!!!"

He tugged as hard as he could, but all that could result from it was him breaking the handle from the door itself. That soon caused him to lose his balance and fall onto his back on the cold, hard floor.

The door soon managed to collapse from its position seconds later, giving the group room to make their way straight inside the compartment. As soon as they all managed to settle inside, all heads were turned towards Joanna, whose face started to look more relaxed than those of her peers.

"Okay, Joanna!" Darkwing shouted as he gave her the thumbs up. "The trigger's all yours!"

And there, she pointed her pistol straight towards a nearby lever outside the gondolier. She pulled the trigger, but as a result, absolutely nothing managed to come out. That left her to show confusion as she looked at the weapon's nozzle.

"My pistol!" she started to panic. "What… what happened?"

"Joanna?" Darkwing started to look puzzled.

"I don't have any ammo! What's going on?"

"Gee, how should we get out of here now?"

Ratchet started to search inside the pockets of his pants. "Let me use my RYNO for this one."

"No, Ratchet!" Joanna tried to persuade him otherwise. "You'll get us killed!"

Joanna's shouts didn't work; Ratchet had already withdrawn the R.Y.3.N.O. and was pointing it straight towards the switch. Oblivious to the fact that the missiles would never fit through the gaps, all that Joanna could do was lower her head and shake it with despair.

"Lombax ahoy!" cheered a female voice from above.

All of a sudden, the gondolier started to make its ascent all by itself, rising inch by inch away from ground level. The speed on it started to increase over time, causing everyone to hold onto the metal bars as they did so.

"Whoooa!" Ratchet panicked as he struggled to hold on. "Who's operating this thing?"

Ratchet tried to look up, but the blur of the wind caused him to struggle to see above him. His ears then started to flap in the wind thanks to the increased air resistance that managed to surround him.

Various hair and clothing folds among some of the other personnel also blew upon one another as they continued to look on and see the gondolier keep rising and rising higher up the vertical tunnel.

And then, it came to a sudden stop, causing everyone to lose their balance and fall upon their backs, sides and stomachs. Fletch looked on from his position on his own stomach, and saw that they were lifted towards the top of what looked like a cavern entrance.

"Come on, to the daylight!" shouted a different male voice.

The shout caused the group to respond persona by persona, making their way towards a lit cavern entrance up ahead. A strong stream of sunlight was seen casting its way through from there to a select portion of the floor.

They went through the passage, and it wasn't long until the stone surface started to turn into a wooden one. They looked ahead, and right there, the first thing they saw near them was a familiar figure standing at the other side of the wooden path.

"Fox?" Fletch squinted his eyes as he tried to look closer.

Indeed, Fox McCloud was seen standing there, with the wooden path actually being a pier head. The view behind him showed the Southern regions of the city, which some portions were obscured by some other figures surrounding him.

"Axel? Praxis? And Courtney?" he soon identified them. "You're here too?"

"We had to help you get out of that dungeon mess", Axel sternly replied back. "Fox managed to sense the action from a COM link that was left switched on."

The remark caused Sora to look towards his pants and see his COM link hanging out of it. He took a hold of it, and true to Axel's word, it was seen switched on. The key bearer blushed slightly as he hesitantly turned it off.

"Oh, I guess I should have thought about that earlier."

"Got it memorised?" Axel questioned with a sigh.

"Okay, enough with the smart talk", Fletch raised his voice while outstretching his arms. "Ripto apparently has six of the Samaritans, and Etna ran off with the Spear of Visions. Now what do you suppose they would do?"

"Obviously Ripto would take over the city, pure and simple", Praxis replied in a melancholy tone. "But we can't let that happen if he just wants to use power to his own content."

"There is a way we can stop them though", smiled Courtney. "We can just gatecrash the ceremony."

Courtney stepped ahead and pointed straight north. Right there, the Senatorial Housing was seen standing among the hillsides, with crowds slowly starting to gather around. At the sight, Fletch's face started to turn white.

"It'll take place at the Senatorial Housing's entrance in 10 minutes", informed Fox. "If we can convince the people that Ripto isn't fit enough for the job, he might just give up the Samaritans before anything crucial happens."

Fletch then looked on at Fox, and then at himself. He knew that without his own spear he might have trouble with his offensive skills, but regardless of what would result in the end, he looked on at him with a stern face.

"It sounds like an insane idea, but I think we can do this. Let's get up there."

Smiling together, they all made their walk down the pier head. And right at the end, they saw Fox's Arwing standing in position. Inside it, Bill and Ted were seen in the cockpit, pretending to be pilots.

"Bill! Ted!" Fox shouted towards the pair. "Leave the Arwing controls alone!"

"Whatever, Fox", sighed Bill with a frown.

Ted moderately punched a side mirror before standing up. "Talk about bogus, dude."

Sighing, they both got out of the cockpit and climbed straight back into the passenger area, trying their best not to damage any nearby equipment to them. All that Fox could do was shake his head slightly.

He then managed to get towards the door of the Arwing and opened it up. One by one, everyone stepped inside and strapped themselves in, ready to be transported straight back towards the Senatorial Housing.

As the ship lifted itself into the sky, the G-diffusers underneath it pushed it into the air harder than the usual. And with a combination of haste and care, the Arwing made its way towards its target destination, where the confrontation with Ripto awaits.

* * *

Back at the Senatorial Housing, Ripto ended up making his way in the path that generally leads towards the prisons. Yet, instead of descending a gondolier down to ground level, he took a separate flight of stairs to an entirely different location.

Going through the passageway, his surroundings soon started to change into a dark and grittier one. Looking straight ahead, he saw a chamber right ahead, and right there he saw the glistening of all the glass tubes holding the current Samaritans inside – the chamber of his own captives.

He then looked towards his left hand, and he saw a purple crystal being maintained in his hand. Smirking, he made his walk towards a pedestal in the middle of the room and placed the stone upon it.

"King of All Cosmos? More like the King of All Captured!"

A purple lightning bolt struck the room, causing several strobe lights to flash. Several visions of the face of the Prime Chancellor were seen, before the flashes stopped and the King was seen being sent inside the glass tube, still without consciousness and only just being able to fit inside.

"Just to think now. All six Samaritans are secured, and we are almost sure to make our ambush on Ariel to grab Crash", he sneered as he held onto his sceptre. "That way, the city will totally be under my own command."

"You seem to like coming up with a lot of these crazy ideas", spoke a nearby voice. "Are you sure it's not all getting into your head or anything?"

The remark caused Ripto to look behind him. There, Etna was seen standing nearby, this time taking the liberty to roll her dress up so that her legs can be seen from the knees down. Twitching his eyes, he made a stern walk towards her.

"Believe me, Etna", he informed her with a nod. "This city will be mine for the taking, and with the most threatening force to my plan in jail, there's nothing that will stop the ceremony."

"Ceremony?" she asked, puzzled.

"You know, when we will rule the city side by side. You will be my secretary, while I will come to the throne as Emperor Ripto!"

He looked straight up towards the ceilings and saw several small blue, pink and purple crystals etched upon it. He was only just able to see his reflection among one of the bigger ones, showing his sinister-looking facial expression.

Cackling quietly to himself, he leered back toward Etna whom gave off a sly grin in return. Then, the prophet made his walk towards her, taking a hold of her hand and leaving them both to walk back the way they came.

"And once I am crowned, you know what will happen", Ripto remarked as he looked back at Etna.

"I don't, actually", she replied with a shake of the head. "What kind of genius plan do you have in your head?"

"It'll be needed if we need to counter Ariel with the force we have."

He soon came to a stop in his tracks and looked back at the circular room. All six of his prisoners and an empty capsule were seen. The crystals above them also showed that they could be a part of something bigger.

He then looked to the left and right hand sides of the cavern, where several cave drawings were seen among the walls. One picture showed the contents of the capsules gathering together, all of them filled, glowing with a mysterious aura.

Another one showed Ripto getting charged by the energy, followed by another one making a blast towards a crude drawing of a giant bird, assuming that was Ariel. He gave off a cold-hearted smile at the sketches as he saw them.

"It's something that I will merely label as… the final procedure."

Ripto continued to smile as he held tightly onto his sceptre with two hands. His reflection was seen upon it, with the stone on it being reflected in return in his own eyes. A vicious red aura surrounded him as he continued to stare on it.

As far as he knew, the time was almost nigh. There was no sign of interference to the ceremony, and no way of halting his plans to continue his progress towards Ariel. As far as he was concerned, he was ready to make his mark on the city of Theoropolis.

It may be a dark mark, true, but a personal mark nonetheless.

_-end of chapter-_


	16. Crash of the Customs

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Finally we're starting to edge away from the short chapters and into the final decisive set. This is where things get really tough and dynamic. At this stage, Fletch is ready to confront Ripto, halt him from taking the title of City Emperor, and hopefully being able to reclaim his captives in the process.

There were quite a lot of things that I wanted to emphasize in the chapter as well - Bill and Ted get a big break though they don't contribute actively to the confrontation, several key components from the past few chapters have also been explained, and there are empahsis on Fletch's original goals that I would rather not give away here.

I don't even know what else to write here. Most other key details that could be seen in here and the following chapters would spoil the story somewhat. Whichever happens, I hope it goes down well. Thanks again!

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_Several weeks passed since Akumi received her first correspondence from her father. I was a little bit sceptical at first in case the figure was someone that might have been a poser trying to wind her up._

_Then they sent photos of each other. I didn't quite make out the figure too well on the receiving end of her photo, but the general eye structure looked close enough to assume that she was applicable enough to be a relative._

_She ended up telling him everything, from the details surrounding my family, to how she's doing at school, to even her developing fascination with geese. She seemed really happy being able to express everything in written words._

_With the way I saw her face, her father seemed like the first thing she thought about when she woke up every morning, and the last thing she thought of when she decides to go to sleep for the night._

_Her face was more radiant than I have ever seen in quite a long time, and the sight of that made me feel so proud of her. I often wondered what it was like to end up being in her shoes, especially at a given moment like that._

"_Fletch, I love you so much for doing everything for me. Without this, I'd never be able to get in touch with my father."_

_Her voice caused me to lean forward from my bed and look on at my door. It was shut tight, yet her voice was able to penetrate through the wooden surface. Blinking, I took a hold on the door and opened it, looking on at her face to face._

"_That reminds me, you still need to tell me what kind of favor you want me to do in return."_

"_I'm still thinking of it", I gestured with my arms spread out. "It hasn't erased my mind."_

_I then ended up emerging from my room and making my walk towards the stairwell, ready to face the day ahead. But… as soon as I got to the top of the stairs, there was something near the front door that soon managed to get my attention._

"_Fletch?"_

_I reacted by pacing myself downstairs, ready to take a hold on what was down there. As soon as I got down there, I brought myself on all fours and made my way towards the front door. And there, I saw another letter – another one addressed to Akumi._

"_Oh, Akumi, you've got mail again."_

"_Huh?"_

_I picked up the letter and made my way towards the foot of the stairs. Akumi peeked over and saw me holding it, causing her to make her way downstairs, being careful enough to hold onto the rails as she did so._

_As soon as she got there, I gave her the letter, leaving her to look on at it on both sides. Yet unlike most of the others, there didn't seem to be a distinguishable mark to identify where it came from._

_Regardless, she managed to open the letter and look on at the contents inside. She saw a familiar parchment and an even more familiar small photograph attached towards it; the sight of it caused her to turn it around on its front and see what was on it._

"_Oh, it's another response!" she smiled peacefully. "I wonder what he's going to say this time."_

_The picture ended up seeing the same blurred picture of her father that I seemed to associate with her past few letters. Smiling gently, she finally looked on at the parchment and started to unfold it._

_She then started to proceed in reading the letter out loud, leaving me to look over her shoulder and read it myself in case she had problems reading any larger words. She seemed to cope with it really well, personally._

_**My dearest Akumi,**_

_**Your input in the past few letters have been very frequent. You have made me feel that every bit more alive with every passing correspondence. I miss seeing your face very much.**_

_**Now that so much time has passed, I think the time has come for us to finally meet up again after all these years. I am declaring that we shall meet up next Saturday at the woodlands outside town. Be prepared to bring a packed lunch for the journey, as we may spend a lot of time catching up on old times and thinking about the future.**_

_**Remember, you are the sunshine of my life, and I will never let you go once I see you once again.**_

_**-A.D.W.-**_

_After she read the letter, she folded it up and placed it on the mantelpiece with all the others she managed to stash. She looked at me with the same radiant glow in her eyes that I saw in the past few weeks._

"_So you're saying he's going to meet us at a picnic?" I asked her with a blink._

"_I'm sure that's what he wants. If that's the case…"_

_She looked at me with a more confident look. That face looked almost too familiar for someone who's been with someone's progressive footsteps towards seeing a lost relative for quite a while. I knew what was coming._

_I tried to take several steps back, but almost too quickly, she took a tight grasp around my chest and started to squeeze my stomach as if I was a giant teddy bear. The pain felt all too familiar to even accept it as actual damage._

"_I love you even more! I can't wait to see him at last!"_

"_Whoa, calm down!" I screamed from my current position. "You haven't even met him yet!"_

_Gritting my teeth tightly, I then proceeded to push myself out from her grasp, eventually leaving me to end up falling onto my back as soon as I managed to free myself. The cold hard surface made the fall really painful._

_I then soon got back up on both feet and proceeded to make my way towards my room to get freshened up and dressed for the day. I just hope that I would receive less pain throughout the rest of the day compared to the display she ended up showing off._

_Regardless, next Saturday was a day that I was bound to be prepared for. Though Akumi's father might not want anything to do with me, the fact remains that I will be a suitable escort for her. I will never forget my promise to protect her as long as we're under the same roof._

* * *

Day 7

_Senatorial Housing, Philips Cosmopolitan District – 9:55AM_

The sun was starting to reach its mid point in the sky, illuminating the city in a bright and beautiful glow. The Senatorial Housing looked to be the most radiant of all; in spite of all the damage it took from the day before, the rooftops were seen glistening as if they were gold bars and the remaining walls still managed to stand majestically enough to welcome any visitors.

Crowds were seen drawing towards the building as they made their steady approach towards the building's interiors. As soon as they got to the door, they were checked over by a group of prinnies outside the door before being admitted entrance.

Among the crowd were a set of personnel wearing large gray journalist hats and trailing brown coats. One of them ended up sticking out a beak, and another ended up showing a distinctive orange tail.

"Fox, why do we have to wear these stupid tailor-made paparazzi costumes?" Darkwing's voice was heard among the group.

"It's so that we can all get through together to execute the plan. I'll explain more once we get inside."

Fox ended up bringing out one of his hands in a "stop" motion, causing Darkwing to remain quiet as they got closer and closer towards the door. As that happened, he looked up at a giant clock that managed to grace the center of the building.

"The festival will begin in 10 minutes. We need to make sure that we can settle down before it all begins."

Everyone near Fox gave out a brief nod as they walked. The crowds made navigation really difficult for them, but they were still able to make their way through towards the front doors of the building.

Once there, they stood in front of the two prinnies, whom looked on at them with raised eyebrows. They looked on at the clothes, patting onto them for spot checks. And then, Fox raised his hand in the air and made his gesture on them.

"We're the band that you hired. We will be happy to keep Emperor Ripto entertained during the after show."

"Welcome to the ceremony, dood!" saluted one of the prinnies.

Smiling, the prinnies then all took a step back and allowed access for the group. A dark passage was seen right ahead of them – the same familiar passage that Senator Cortex managed to open up for the group earlier.

They walked inside, but instead of making a direct left, the three made their way towards a small flight of stairs. One of the prinnies was seen guarding it, yet on the sight of the group making their way towards it, it took a side step out of the way, causing everyone to climb up the stairwell.

As they got towards the top of the stairs, they looked on ahead and saw a vacant second floor corridor right ahead of them. Showing a facial expression of curiousness, Fletch removed his hat and looked on at the others, giving off a concerned blink.

"What the heck is this… a band?"

"We got the Wyld Stallyns back together!" beamed Bill. "Even though, some of our band members are different than the original ones."

"What are you talking about?" Fletch further questioned him.

Ted took a hold of Fletch's hand and towed him straight down the corridor. A fork was seen – one passage went to the left and the other went to the right. In response, they made their way towards the right.

There, a giant set of doors was seen ahead of them, leaving them to step directly inside it. And right in front of them, they saw a series of musical instruments and microphones arranged together – two guitars, a bass, two keyboards stacked on top of one another, and a drum kit.

"Get into positions, dudes!" Ted stated his command.

"Awesome!" Bill remarked as he went towards one of the guitars.

Within the group, three of the personnel alongside Bill and Ted made their way towards the instruments. They removed the coats and hats, revealing themselves to be Axel, Praxis and Courtney.

Axel took his position among the drum kit, taking a hold onto the sticks as if they were a tool that he might have missed using in a long time. Courtney made her way to the keyboards, with Praxis ultimately taking the bass, although his facial expression looked less optimistic in comparison to those for his peers.

"Don't ask, it was all Axel's idea", he sighed with irritancy.

Axel responded with a leer back towards Praxis. "Hey, it was the least we can do to make sure we see our old master explode into pieces at the end of all this."

"Oh, just shut up and focus on what you have to do!" Courtney screamed back. "It's bad enough for me having not played with a keyboard in a long time."

"Just do your job, dudette", Ted instructed her. "Then everything will be excellent."

"Fine", she angrily sighed in return.

There, they prepared themselves to perform among the instruments. In quick succession, Axel performed a rim shot on the drums, Praxis ended up doing a cum shot on the bass and Courtney did a small series of jazz chords on one of the keyboards.

Bill and Ted then soon managed to place the guitars around them and played an E note simultaneously, showing that they were both in tune. Finally, Fox managed to stand in front of them and gestured his hands straight towards them all.

"And a one, and a two…"

Axel provided a count-in, before allowing the rest of the band to play a melodic instrumental rendition of "Hikari" from the original _Kingdom Hearts_ score. Upon hearing it, Sora's eyes instantly widened as he absorbed the familiar melody.

The sounds of the performance were heard from the ceremonial room, where the sound was blasted from the speakers, causing several of the visitors of the Imaginarium to stop in their tracks and look straight up at them.

Back in the performance room, the final few measures were performed, and among them they got stronger and stronger in velocities to the point that the climax that they finished on was received with wide applause by the rest of the team.

"Impressive!" Sora smiled as he clapped his hands together. "I bet that'll work well as music for Ripto to "get down" to, literally."

"You got that right", cackled Ratchet. "I am bound to show that we will do anything to protect the city from this coming democracy and reclaim the Samaritans for the world around us."

Smiling with confidence, Ratchet raised his wrench into the air and twirled it around like a majorette's baton. He then looked on at everyone else, seeing all starting to smile back at the lombax with equally determined eyes.

Amongst the group, Fox stepped forward and looked towards the microphone positions for the individual instruments. He raised an eyebrow at the set-up and smiled – in terms of sound reception, it looked as if their connection to the rooms beneath were almost perfect.

"In the meantime, I'll make sure we'll finalise the sound connections for the ceremonial room", Fox spoke with a plan forming. "You guys should just make your positions in the pews."

He then stood back up and made his approach towards the rest of the team. As he did that, he placed one hand in his pockets and withdrew several slabs of paper-like objects, bringing them in front of the personnel in front of him as he passed them.

"These VIP tickets should take you there."

"Got it", Jade spoke with gratitude as she took a hold of one of them. "We'll use them wisely."

"Great", Fox nodded back. "Let's see if we can save the city from this coming tyrant!"

One by one, Fletch and the other team members managed to obtain a ticket. As soon as the boy took his own, he looked upon the front of it and saw several gothic writings upon it; the text made it difficult for him to read, but the identifiable emblem of Ariel made things easy to know that it was relating to an important event in the time of the city.

With confidence, they all left the room together, holding onto their tickets. That left Fox, the band… and Cortex, Peppy and the Queen. Amongst the three of them, Cortex took several steps forward, his facial expression starting to show concern.

"But… what about me? Peppy? The Queen-Secretary? How are we supposed to get down from here and join the confrontation without those tickets?"

"Don't worry about it, Senator Cortex", Fox assured him in a brotherly tone. "I've managed to secure another task to be performed at the ceremony, and you three will be a part of it. Listen to me carefully."

He then placed his arms to one side, causing Cortex, Peppy and the Queen to come around him and huddle together. Several whispers were exchanged from Fox to the others - a plan being valiantly dispatched.

Amongst the discussions of the plan, Cortex's face started to light up. He then looked towards Peppy and the Queen, with their looks starting to show just as much confidence as him. They knew that they were about to face their coming moment in the ceremony.

Not long after the plan was sought for, the huddle broke up, and Fox made his walk back towards the band. In the meantime, that left the three of them to leave the room together, their faces looking just as bright and radiant as Fletch and his gang when they left.

* * *

The ceremony then started to commence as was the usual. There were several hymns being sung, many of which Fletch tried his best to evade reducing his presence… and subsequently halting Darkwing from trying to poorly imitate a tenor during many of the choral numbers.

Various readings were also heard in between various songs, basically re-telling specific historic mementos within Theoropolis's past. Fletch ended up taking great interest as he heard about the plights of various ancient Greek persona and their battles to keep the city standing.

Soon it all ceased, and by that point, Ripto managed to fully emerge onto the stage, donning white mixed in with lilac, dressed for the part that he was hoping to achieve – becoming the Emperor of the city.

"And so, it is with my greatest authority, that Theoropolis will come through a more majestic rule", Ripto was seen trailing on. "Many of you people made for worse since Ariel's arrival will be so much prouder of what cushy jobs that Etna and I will be happy to share to you, and I will also assure you that Samaritans, past present and future, will also be at ease with the refurbishment of the governing body."

"He just can't be serious, can't he?" Darkwing muttered towards the rest of the team.

"Shhh!" Spidey soon silenced him.

Ripto's speech soon made its conclusion. "Thus, it is time that the rule will come to a start right here right now."

He then jumped down from the pedestal that he was on and made his walk straight towards the front of the stage. He then looked down the blue trailing carpet that led inside the room and saw three cloaked figures standing there, all of which donning cobalt blue cloaks and hoods covering their faces.

"I demand that the crown will make its arrival here right now", the prophet spoke as he raised his sceptre in the air.

And by that response, all three of them walked together, each of which maintaining a hand upon an item on a platter, obscured by a silver hemisphere-shaped lid. It was soon pushed towards the stage, where Ripto looked on at it with anticipation.

"Are you ready for your coronation, your shortness?" one of the cloaked figures said in a deep male voice.

"Bring it on!" Ripto exclaimed happily. "I can't wait to whip this place into shape."

"You've just got your just-desserts, little guy", replied an elder cloaked entity.

"What… what are you talking about?"

In retaliation, the three figures lifted the platter together. Expecting there to be a crown, Ripto's eyes were met with the sight of an electronic bomb. Quickly, one of the cloaked figures took a hold of the platter and flicked it towards Ripto's direction.

"Eap…!"

And then, the bomb managed to barely reach contact with his face, when it suddenly exploded. The explosion caused him to start flying his way across the room, leaving him to be sent straight to the back of the stage.

He landed hard on his back before looking forward. Sliding down the wall gently, he leered on at the cloaked figures, which then came closer to him and leered down at him. That left the orange prophet to show concern upon his eyes.

"What's the big idea?"

The first cloaked figure removed their hood first, showing it to be the Queen. "As long as there are people in the Senate that will object to the idea, we will not crown you as an Emperor even if you were the last citizen remaining!"

"But won't you prefer to have an honest ruler over that deceitful Ariel?" Ripto soon questioned her.

"Say what you want", another cloaked figure spoke, removing his hood and showing himself as Peppy. "But who would desire the throne at the end of the day and not use it for the means of sharing power?"

The final cloaked figure removed his hood, identifying himself as Senator Cortex. "And you did enough by having bodyguards send the innocent to prison. Like THEM!"

Cortex then pointed straight towards the pews, where right at the back, Fletch and the group then made their cues and stood up. They looked on at the situation ahead of them and knew that they have got a task at hand to be able to undertake.

In single file, they all made their walk towards the walkway leading towards the stage. They all ran there together, and as soon as they got there, they arranged themselves in a horizontal line and looked on at Ripto.

"What, YOU again?" the prophet growled. "I thought I locked you in there for good, you little runt!"

"Think what you like", Fletch smiled with his teeth gritting tightly. "You just exposed your bad side – not a good sign of being a worthy Emperor, don't you think?"

At the sight of the remark, Ripto's face started to turn red with anger. Clutching onto his sceptre tightly, he made his walk towards the group and prepared to fire, when all of a sudden a door was heard widening open.

Etna was seen making her entrance, donning her secretary outfit. Once there, she looked towards the scene and growled with bitterness. She then made her mark by stepping forward and pointing directly at the stage.

"This is an outrage! We need to get these miscreants out of here! Scarlet Wolf! Get here right now!"

And then, from right behind her, Wolf, Dimitri and Boba all made their dash towards the scene. She then followed on by running behind them towards the stage, leaving them all to position themselves directly in front of Fletch and the others.

Finally, from behind a nearby pipe organ, came Han. He stepped in the middle of the Scarlet Wolf squad, holding onto an object. A familiar object to Fletch's eyes. Right in front of him he saw the Spear of Visions, straight in his best friend's hands.

"Hello, traitor", Han smirked directly towards Fletch's face.

"Han, listen to me – this is all one big mistake! I thought you just wanted to find Akumi anyway!"

He screamed towards him hoping to make sure that Han would understand his words… but he soon froze in his tracks. He then thought hard about Akumi – in spite of thinking so much about her safety, he knew that she could have done just about anything and everything if left to her own devices. Frowning, he looked on at Han once again.

"Wait… all that time… has anything bad happened to her?"

"Only I know the answer to that one", Ripto replied deceitfully. "And you'll die before you'll even know it!"

Smirking, Ripto once again pointed his sceptre directly towards Fletch's face. By then, he saw from his words that the orange prophet might have known something relating to Akumi. Gritting his teeth, the boy raised his fists into the air.

"YOU!!!"

He tried to make his dash straight towards him, hoping to lunge any kind of attack with his bare fists, but before anything could happen, Sora quickly took a hold of his shoulder and stopped him from going further.

Panting heavily, he leered on at Ripto, knowing that he might have put both his best friend and his sister in grave danger. The sorcerer cackled with sinister laughter as he held onto his sceptre like a baby holding a rattle.

"It's all too late now. When did you leave her behind, a week ago? There's no way we'll see you reunite with your precious sister the way you remember her. And there's no way you'll ever think of getting your precious Samaritans back either!"

"We'll see about that!" Fletch shouted at the top of his voice.

Raising his fists in the air once again, he pushed himself away from Sora and marched towards Ripto, ready to make his assault. Meanwhile with Fox and the band, the group were in position behind their respective musical instruments, ready to make their mark on the ceremony.

"This is our chance to distract the enemy!" Fox smiled with determination. "Are you ready guys?

"We're goin' in, dude!" Bill cheered as he took a hold on his guitar.

"Excellent!" Ted mimicked his partner's actions.

Praxis sighed as he looked down at his instrument of choice. "I refuse to get my hands blistered on this stupid bass."

"We don't have a choice", sighed Courtney. "It's either that, or Fletch gets taken away for taxidermy."

"I wish I did more drum practice after all this… damn."

Frowning, Axel ended up banging his head upon one of the toms, causing an echoing sequence of bashes to be heard amongst their immediate surroundings. Shaking his head with irritancy, Fox soon raised his hands in the air and caught the group's attention.

"This is no time to rest!" Fox bickered towards the band. "Axel, provide the count-in!"

"Yes Fox!"

Fox managed to provide the count-in for the rest of the band, and just like that they started to perform a tense rock-inspired song across the room. The sound connections soon made it transmittable towards the Ceremonial Room.

The sounds left the group to start looking around, wondering where it was coming from. Ripto himself looked especially confused as he looked in all directions, his face looking uneasy upon the sudden surge of sound.

"You have to be kidding", he frowned at the sudden noise.

"You're mine, Ripto!"

Gritting his teeth tightly, Fletch took a small step back, took a hold onto a small wooden pole that was connected to one of the pews in the room, and snapped it off. He waved it in the air, intending to use it as if it was a combat stick.

He then charged straight into action, facing the same situation upon fighting Ripto as he did at the top of Mario's shack – several swipes and several deflections of the intense light energy from the end of his opponent's sceptre.

Only this time, in spite of not wearing Spidey's mask, he started to look more determined to break his vision through the intense light. His attacks thus started to increase in accuracy, up until the point where Ripto launched a crimson arc of energy from his body, which the boy ducked under just in time.

"Get your grubby weapons away from me!" Ripto growled back at the boy. "You can't deal with this!"

"Gee, he's becoming tough", Fletch sighed as he re-positioned his hat. "What should I do here?"

"Let me help you out!"

Sora then stepped between Fletch and Ripto, and raised his keyblade high into the air. A strong current of yellow energy started to surround him, soon prompting the boy to stand near him, their backs amongst one another.

"Together!" Sora commanded.

"I'm going in!" Fletch broadly smiled back.

With a bright glow amongst his keyblade, Sora then hurled it straight towards Ripto like an edged boomerang. Though the prophet was successful in blocking off the attack, it didn't stop any damage being inflicted upon the sceptre itself. Fletch soon followed by using some of the yellow light energy to try and further attack him, and that time, he found himself to be more powerful than he was several seconds ago.

Amongst the scrap, Etna made her rush towards the scene, ready to make her offence towards Fletch and Sora. But before she could come close enough to layer any damage towards them, Darkwing soon stepped in front of her, stretching his arms out wide.

"Etna, you stay back!" the duck shouted out to her. "There's no way you'll come to counter us at a time like this!"

"You wanna bet?"

Growling viciously, she withdrew her Elder Spear and pointed it towards Darkwing. A cackling glow of crimson energy surrounded it as she made a supernatural leap into the air – a jump that brought her as high as the tallest pipes on the pipe organ.

"Call me BEAUTY QUEEN ETNA!!"

"Duck!" Jade exclaimed from the sidelines.

The prompt caused Darkwing to react by ducking as Etna sent herself towards the floor like a meteor crashing down. She eventually did, but was unable to strike Darkwing as by then Jade had pulled him away to one side.

She then looked straight ahead of her, where she saw Spidey and Dimitri making a circular shuffle, leering at each others' eyes as they fixed their focus upon one another. The lounge lizard in particular was showing a very sinister sneer upon his face, even exposing his yellowing teeth.

"Dimitri, there's no way you're getting out of this one!" Spidey exclaimed towards him.

"Watch it, yo; there's a bad gangsta in town, that's fo' sho'!"

Dimitri withdrew his pistol and tried to shoot Spidey, but he was too quick; he launched a web and shot himself up towards the ceiling, and once up there he sent a web straight towards his opponent. No matter how hard he tried to penetrate it, there was no escape as it was secured right around his body.

"Quick, someone lay down some kind of attack!" Spidey called out towards the others.

Darkwing soon turned towards the scene and saw his chance. "I'm going in!"

And so, Darkwing made his dash straight towards Dimitri, waving his fists in the air as he did so. All that the lounge lizard could do was look on at the duck, ready to expect a thorough beating as soon as they clashed.

"YEEARRGH!!!" the duck cried out with determination.

And there, Darkwing managed to launch two successive blows upon Dimitri's back… all before he suddenly performed a cartwheel out of control, leaving him to end up making a crash into the side of the pipe organ.

Nearby, Wolf was seen making his advancement towards Cortex and Peppy, his pistol withdrawn and ready to make his assault on the pair of them. Both of them were cornered, as if they thought they had no way out.

"Let's see what kind of fire play you guys can deal with here", Wolf snickered towards them both,

"We'll make sure that you get out of this one with wounds rather than lucky scrapes", Peppy looked on at Wolf with a leer before changing his focus to his right. "Senator Cortex!"

"Yes, Senator Hare?"

"Let's make our advancement on him!"

Nodding sinisterly towards one another, they both withdrew laser pistols of their own. And with that, all three of them were engaged in a tense dogfight that covered the entire right hand side of the stage.

Green, blue and yellow strobe lights were seen flickering, trying to inflict the three of them. Cutting through the middle of them were Boba and Joanna, trying to counter any additional pistol shots to call their own in the process while being lucky enough not to get singed by the coming laser shots.

"Let's see what we can make of you, chick", Boba growled towards her.

"I'm not anyone's chick. I'm Joanna Dark!"

She then made her leap towards Boba and tried to attack him with means of melee combat, but he soon fought back by pushing her aside and quickly trying to shoot her as she was off guard. She then countered back by means of ducking and rolling away from him.

The chase soon continued, until she was surely cornered. Boba's pistol was soon pointed straight down at her, knowing that she might not have a chance to get out alive. Yet, she gritted her teeth together, ready to make her risky escape.

"Take this!"

She launched herself into a flying kick into the air, instantly striking hard upon Boba's stomach as she did so. She then landed gracefully on her hands and feet, pointing her pistol straight towards the Scarlet Wolf member.

She then fired multiple shots, trying to penetrate Boba, but he managed to dodge just as gracefully as Joanna did. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she tried to edge closer, but… that was before the Queen suddenly stepped in front of her.

"My turn!"

She was seen holding a small ball with rubber stubs on it – a katamari, colored white, pink and blue. She then threw it straight towards Boba, striking him on the chest and scraping off some aspects of his cloak. Stunned, he looked down at the small ball, only to see it start moving on its own; that resulted in a chase between the two objects, the katamari starting to pick up more and more objects to get bigger and bigger.

"I never knew you could fight like that", Joanna smiled back at her.

"She won't for long!"

Snickering, Han soon stepped into the heat of the action, made his approach from behind the Queen and lifted her, holding her tightly around one side of her body. She then reacted by screaming as her feet left the floor.

"Hey, put me down!"

"Stand back", Han commanded as he continued to hold her. "Or the Samaritan Heir gets it!"

All of a sudden, Han faced a small tug upon his own cloak. He looked towards the brown belt that graced his body and he noticed… that the Spear of Visions had gone! His face turned white as he tried to look around for the claimer of the weapon in particular.

He then looked right ahead, and saw Fletch matching his eyes with his. Only this time, he was no longer armed with the broken pew pole. He was then seen with the spear, back safely in his hands.

"Queen, get back!"

He pointed his spear straight towards Han, hoping to try and free the Queen without injuring his friend too much. He then started to make his run towards them before… he suddenly felt a tug on his shoulder.

He looked behind him, and saw Sora standing over him. He pointed out his keyblade and took a hold upon Fletch's spear, bringing the two weapons into a cross-like formation. All that the boy could do was look on in confusion.

"Sora, what are you doing?" he asked with his eye widening with concern.

"Hold still!"

And then, the two weapons were raised into the air, striking an X sign into the air. A bright charge of blue and yellow energy surrounded them, as they were ready to make their penetration. But it wasn't until it was fully charged when Sora pointed the weapons in another direction.

Ripto's direction.

There, the light was seen cast straight towards the orange prophet. He tried all manners of attacks to try and deflect it, but nothing could prepare him for the intense blue and yellow energy engulfing his sceptre and smashing it into pieces.

"My…" Ripto's facial expression soon became blank. "My sceptre!!"

Frowning with despair, he ended up bringing himself onto his hands and knees, looking steadily at the floor as he did so. All the broken shards of his sceptre were seen scattered around the floor, like ashes turned to dust.

At the same time, Han started to lose his focus. Eventually, his body became limp and he fell straight to the floor face first. The sight of it left Fletch to gasp a deep gasp as he witnessed his comrade falling.

He then made his rush towards him, trying his best not to get his feet stuck upon the broken sceptre shards as he did so. And then, he managed to reach him, crouching down and taking a hold upon his body as he did so.

"HAN!!" Fletch exclaimed towards him.

He then rolled him onto his front, where he saw that his eyes were half-open. Han showed signs of weakness, even with the radiant shade of green that graced them. At the sight of them, Fletch took a hold of his shoulders and looked straight on at him.

"Han, are you okay?"

"Ow…" Han muttered with pain quietly. "Oooow…"

Wincing, he took a light grasp upon one of his arms, and leant his head up slightly. He then used his elbows to try and support himself, fixing his focus onto Fletch as he did so, with a moderately dizzy glare shown on his face.

"Where… where am I?" he blinked with unease. "What am I doing here?"

"Han, please tell me that you're okay", Fletch desperately raised his voice to him. "You really freaked me out, man!"

Fletch tried to focus as hard as he could upon his friend, whom by now started to regain awareness of his surroundings. Finally, his eyes started to light up more and more upon the sight of the boy.

"F… Fletch?"

All of a sudden, he leant forward and brought his arms around Fletch, the two of them feeling relived that they've managed to make a more thoughtful reunion. But the grasp didn't last for long; he soon let go, looking around at the unusual surroundings of the Ceremonial Room.

"What was I doing?" Han questioned, his fists shaking. "And what place is this?"

"Before I saw you all looking weird and stuff, you told me to go find Akumi in the woods", recapped Fletch. "But Ripto told me that something bad has happened to her. But how?"

Han's face started to look puzzled. "Ripto?"

Fletch pointed behind him, causing Han to look straight into the eyes of Ripto, still despairing over the lack of his sceptre. And then it struck him – the last thought that happened before his mind was taken over. All resulted with a flash from the red crystal that managed to grace it. With that, he gritted his teeth together and walked towards the prophet, slowly but steadily.

"I thought I told you to spare the kid!" Han growled at Ripto. "I just wanted to find Akumi again!"

"That's the deal we made! You help me get the Samaritans, and we'll get your accomplice out of here. But what's the use, now that I don't have a sceptre?"

Growling, he shook his fists in the air, with Han just leering on at him, putting his hands to his hips as he did so. As far as he and Fletch was concerned, there was just no crying over spilt milk, especially at a situation like that.

"Uh, Ripto?" Etna tried to get his attention. "We've got trouble coming."

"Hm?"

All of a sudden, they all looked around the scene. The faint sound of a rumble was heard nearby. It was felt among the spectators inside the room. The pipe organ was seen faintly whistling at the sound. Even the broken sceptre shards were seen jumping slightly at the sound of it.

And then, all of a sudden, the pipe organ was seen breaking itself free from the rest of the room. All on its own, it lifted in the room, carrying the stash of earth that it rested upon with it and causing a multitude of rocks to fall into its place.

From underneath the pit, a small cylinder was seen being lifted into the air. Cortex squinted hard at it, and right there, he saw an orange rat-like figure standing inside it, motionless and unconscious. His eyes widened at the sight of it.

"Crash?" he recognised the figure. "But… what was he doing beneath the Senatorial Housing?"

"Ariel might have placed him there", blinked Fletch. "Very cunning trick."

The group then looked hard as the pipe organ was slowly being removed from the scene. It was sent in a Western direction, hurtling its way towards the nearby mountains and smashing itself into pieces before rolling down into the forestry below.

That soon followed by the sight of six other capsules floating into the air. The familiar faces of Rayman, Guardian Jak, Sonic, Spyro, Mario and the King of All Cosmos were enough to turn Ripto's face into a frightened shade of pale peach.

"My captives!" he exclaimed with fright. "What are they doing, all coming to him like that?"

The six Samaritans then joined Crash, floating together in the sky in a circular fashion. A bright glare of purple energy surrounded them, all before the sight of a giant bird sweeping its way across the scene.

"Now that all the Samaritans are together", spoke a deep and booming voice, "it's only a matter of time before my power will make its impact upon the outside world. This place will face my strongest rule yet!"

"Uh… Ariel?" Cortex identified the voice.

"THAT'S HIM!" shouted Peppy, showing a fearful glare. "What's he doing with the Samaritans?"

The bird then flew its way straight across the Senatorial Housing, moving with graceful yet disturbing movements. It then flew through the light that was channelled from the chambers of the Samaritans, showing no expression as it came through.

And then, it positioned itself directly above the building. Several burning rocks were cast upon its wings; it then sent them straight down to the building, each of them getting bigger as they got closer and closer.

"Meteor Shower at 1 o' clock!" Sora exclaimed as he pointed to the falling rocks.

"But it's only 10!" smiled Darkwing. "May I be excused so that I can have a big breakfast?"

"GET BACK!!!"

Sora took a tight grasp around Darkwing's hand as the first of the meteors landed towards the ground, taking away a significant portion of the stage. There, the duck realised the true extent of the danger.

In terror, the personnel inside the Ceremonial Room started to flee. They made their run straight towards the exit, trying to escape from the onslaught of meteors that would be continuously cast down.

Several more were sent towards the room, this time being able to tear away one side of the seating areas. That left Fletch to look up and show fear, as he knew that at that rate there was no way to counter the demonic bird as it performed its actions.

He tried to flee the scene, but before he could even get out of the door, one of the meteors in particular started to crash down on the rest of the room. The burning embers that managed to strike that portion of the room were felt down his back as he continued to run.

* * *

All that was left behind of the Senatorial Housing was nothing but a remaining portion of the pews – five rows left intact. The rest was nothing but a bottomless pit that looked as if it was as wide as the Grand Canyon.

Hanging from the edge were Ripto and Etna, both of which holding onto fallen poles for dear life. They looked down at the pit, and knew that they were mere moments away from certain doom and elimination.

Just then, Joanna and Ratchet were seen standing over the scene, both of which sharing concerned glances upon one another. It wasn't long until the latter's continuous glares between her and them started to make him shake his hands with fear.

"Ratchet, what's wrong?" Joanna started to question the lombax.

"Trust me on this, Joanna", he replied with a shaken voice tone. "We have to rescue them."

"You _what?_" she was soon taken aback. "Save the pair that has been opposing us for the past few days?"

"Yes, but at the end of the day there is a similarity between us. Though we searched for different pathways, we have an opposition with Emperor Ariel in common."

With a concerned glare, all that Joanna could do was look down with fear. Maybe Ratchet was right, she thought to herself. At the end of the day, it was Ariel that triggered the capturing of the Seven Samaritans. Not Cortex, not Ripto, and almost certainly not Etna.

Looking back at the pair with a determined glance between them, they ran towards the edge and outstretched their hands towards them. Yet, the prophet responded with a teeth-gritting glare in return.

"What are you doing?" Ripto questioned the pair.

"As bad as you guys were, we will NEVER leave you behind!" Joanna soon answered.

"Besides, what's the point in committing suicide?" Ratchet asked with a worried glance, his ears lowering to his cheeks. "Etna, you've done so much for the Imaginarium, even though some of us may not realise it."

"We still think it's our time to go, lombax", she solemnly responded back.

Twitching her tail, she tried to strike Ratchet upon the shin with it. All he reacted with was a determined glance, as he brought himself on all fours and tried to reach out for the pair with whatever energy he could muster.

Ripto just growled back at the sight of the gesture. "Get your paws away from us!"

And then, all of a sudden, they backed away to the tips of the poles, before looking straight down at the pit together. They then took deep breaths, before allowing themselves to release their grips and fall.

They were seen plummeting down towards the pit, ready to face extermination from life. Upon seeing them fall, Ratchet somehow showed a concerned glance as he witnessed their joint attempt at suicide.

"Etna!! Ripto!!"

"There's nothing that I can't handle", Spider-Man called out from nearby. "Let's swing!"

Showing determination, Spidey swung his way straight towards the pit, using whatever web streams he could to ascend from cliff face to cliff face. He was seen making a descent faster than

Ripto and Etna.

Soon, he managed to catch up to them. By that point, Etna was seen clutching herself into a ball to try and fall faster. Ripto was trying to do the same but his cloak made things difficult. Yet, on the sight of Spidey, his eyes widened as he saw him come closer and closer.

"Spider-Man?"

Spidey soon managed to catch up with Ripto, and it wasn't long until he managed to send a web stream towards a lower rock face. He then swung towards the orange prophet, catching him safely with one hand.

"OOF!" Ripto winced as he felt Spidey's arm upon his stomach.

With the remaining hand, Spidey then started to make his ascent straight back up towards the ruins of the Senatorial Housing. It didn't take long until he finally reached the surface, where Ratchet and Joanna looked on at his amazing courage.

But the fact remained that Etna had continued to fall. And with her attempts at speeding up her ways of suicide, it seemed as if there was no way to be able to claim her from the depths of the pit.

"Etna! Don't leave us!"

His whimpers were shown as nothing but despair as he lowered his head and brought himself onto his hands and knees. All that the surrounding personnel could do was look on at him, Joanna especially showing a moderate glare after having witnessed the amount of punishments that Etna would often give to Ratchet.

The lombax then reacted with continuing his focus upon the pit. A deathly silence was shown around him, and with that, he somehow knew that there was no way to be able to reclaim the Acting Guardian of the Imaginarium.

"I'm coming!" shouted a distant voice.

Ratchet's face and ears were soon brought up into the air. "What?"

There, all of a sudden, a white shape was being seen amongst the pit – a flying white shape. It soon reached itself on the surface and showed itself as Fox's Arwing. Etna was seen hanging upon one of the wings, her jacket getting caught upon it and her being left to hang.

"Etna!" Ratchet instantly cried out to her.

"Gee, Mr. McCloud; what's the big idea?" she sulked as she continued to hang on the wing. "I would have preferred to have my life taken rather than be saved in the worst situation possible!"

"Face it, Etna", Cortex spoke sternly as he approached her. "We don't want to admit it, but we know very well that as long as people exist in the outside world, believing in us, we would never die out."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot", she sighed in a melancholic fashion. "Why did I go through all the trouble to become a central character in _Disgaea 2 _anyway?"

The ship then made its way towards the outside of the building, parking safely. As soon as it did so, Fox then made his way out, and took a hold upon Etna as he tried to free her from her position.

The rest of the group then made their dash straight towards the entrance to the building, now easy to reach thanks to the meteors being able to damage most of the maze-like corridors to the point that many of the southern walls were easily accessible. There were the other accomplices that Fox took with him, along with Fletch, Darkwing, Sora and Jade.

Once there, Cortex ended up withdrawing the emblems for Crash and Sonic and passed them to Fletch's direction, with Ripto hesitantly following with that for the King of All Cosmos. Blinking gently, the boy observed them one by one – being able to take note of the additional silhouette of a katamari on the back of the King's copy of the emblem – before placing them inside his backpack for safekeeping.

"It doesn't quite address our full concern", Fletch sighed. "Ariel has come through and obtained all seven Samaritans. Now what is he planning to do?"

"There's something that he has planned prior to these past few days", frowned Ripto. "I wish I could show you the vision, but you blew up my sceptre!"

Praxis then shook his head. "It doesn't mean you can't put it back together. Look!"

Praxis then made his walk towards Ripto, bringing one of his hands into his pockets as he did so. And then, he managed to withdraw a part of his sceptre – the glowing red crystal. And that was seen intact, even though it was seen snapped in comparison to the rest of the grip that formed the weapon.

"As long as your stone remains intact", addressed the Baron, "there is nothing that your powers can't provide."

Ripto then stared at his own reflection inside the crystal and showed a wide-eyed response. "I should have known about all this. After all, the emblems of Theoropolis shouldn't really break."

"Wait, did he just say 'emblem'?" Fletch soon questioned the rest of his team.

"If that's the case, he must be another Heir!" smiled Darkwing. "Spyro's Heir, if I'm not mistaken."

"Technically yes", the prophet nodded. "Though, I was seeing it through Coco's emblem. She was able to trade it with me for her diner repairs and many diamonds, including the Goose's Heart."

Upon the mention of the Goose's Heart, Cortex's face suddenly turned a bright red color. It was there that he came to realise that Ripto might have known a little bit more about the way of the stone than once thought.

"That monster Ariel could have easily done something with the entire city if he continued his plucking away of the Samaritans from the very beginning", Ripto growled bitterly. "So by crafting a diamond like the Goose's Heart and sealing him away, then successively hiding it amongst the city, I thought we would be safe."

His determined glare soon turned into a more solemn look as he looked down towards the floor. Several millipedes were seen wondering at his feet, hiding from pebble to pebble. Only the brief trace of his own shadow was seen trying to give him some sense of comfort no matter how small it was.

"I should have figured that Coco was too smart a suspect to understand how the pedestal worked."

"Well, I'd like to say 'at least you tried' at this point", Fletch began speaking again. "But now, at a time when this city could be done for, we all may have paid the price for what has happened."

And with that, everyone lowered their heads, knowing to the full extent that Ariel has managed to absorb the power of the Samaritans. With the way he destroyed the Senatorial Housing, it may not be for the good of the city. Not long after that, Fletch raised his head and brought his focus back towards Ripto.

"What did you want with Coco's emblem anyway?" he hesitantly asked the prophet.

"This is what I've been trying to do, kid. It's situations like this that would make overthrowing the Emperor a little bit tougher than I anticipated."

Holding the emblem in his hand, he then brought one of his hands over it, whispering a small incantation to himself. And then, a misty red aura surrounded it, soon starting to engulf a small space in front of his face.

The cloud then started to form a bubble that would look like it can be popped open; Darkwing tried to poke his finger into it, but it ended up going straight through the vision, leaving him to express his eyes with wonder.

Then, on the surface of the bubble, a vision formed. There, they saw a dungeon-like area, with a figure lying upon a table, as if they were in a deep sleep. But it wasn't any old figure in that situation, as Fletch and Han both gasped at the scenario.

"Akumi!" they both cried out in unison.

"Do you see, Fletch?" Han responded with a less optimistic look than the usual. "I have some explaining to do concerning my time here."

Panting with panic, Han then raised his hands into the air and turned towards the rest of the personnel. The glow of the eerie near-midday sun was shown upon his eyes as he spoke to everyone.

"Two days after we split up at the fork, I had to give up in the city slums. I asked people for help, and eventually Ripto agreed to help me out."

"It was under the condition that he would help me hunt down the Samaritans, all in exchange for his female cohort", Ripto replied. "We could have killed two birds with one stone. He'll get his girl back, and I would completely take the throne from Ariel!"

Ripto's face of optimism once again started to turn to despair. And with that, he ended up placing the emblem deep within the pockets of his cloak and sat down on the surface, dragging his feet upon the dusty ground as he did so.

"I should have known that after he took Crash, it would all be too difficult to bear."

"Just relax, sir", Fletch reassuringly spoke back. "I'm glad we now know where she is. But what would Ariel need with her anyway?"

"With the way he sent the meteor shower to this area, there would be no way in which it was for good deeds", Axel blatantly stated the obvious. "Got it memorised?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture", Fletch sighed while shaking his head.

The boy then took several steps towards the edge of the terrain that they were on. They saw that the city didn't quite look so different in spite of the destruction of the Senatorial Housing. Yet, whatever move he could pull off next could be of grave concern.

"Still, where did he go anyway?" the boy asked the others.

"The last I saw of him is when he flew straight towards the Imaginarium", replied Fox in a grim tone. "Knowing him, he would want to harness the powers of the tower."

"Of course!" Fletch exclaimed, thinking back at the prophecy Spidey told him about and how it was used for distant communications. "Come on, we need to get back to Coco's Diner right away."

"But why?" asked Courtney. "Shouldn't we just attack him head on?"

"We should, but thanks to people like Ratchet, Joanna and Etna, who would know the Imaginarium inside-out, it'll be easier to make a strategy on what to do."

Clutching his hands tightly, he then started to make his dash down the path, back towards the city residences. As soon as he was halfway down, he turned straight back towards the rest of the group and shouted towards them.

"If you have any close acquaintances, bring them to the Diner. Theoropolis has seen enough to show that Ariel isn't the kind Emperor that we thought we'd see of him. And we will all unite to show how much the city means to us!"

And then, he made his dash down the rest of the path. Concerned for his safety, Sora and Spidey both went down the path together, trying to catch up with him. Yet, even the boy was starting to get really fast.

"Fletch, wait!" Spidey called out to him.

"I would expect you all there in half an hour!"

And with that, Fletch vanished into the distance, walking through the city alone. All that the group were left to do was look upon one another, curious over the boy's recent decision. Even Spidey and Dimitri were able to look into each others' eyes without bitterness to each other.

"You heard what he said, bro", shrugged the lounge lizard. "Though we fought on opposing forces, we'd need to up our game together if we need to go take that sucker down."

Spidey focused on Dimitri, leaning forward with a determined stance. "You're on."

All of a sudden, the sound of a distant rumble was heard. That left them all to focus their attention to the direction of the sound. And there it was, coming from the South-East of the city – the Imaginarium.

As if it was lifting on its own, the largest tower around the building was seen breaking away from the ground and rising to the air, surrounded by a bright and sinister lilac aura. It then blocked the sun as it approached its position in the sky.

They knew that by the sight of the rising mass, the time to act had to be now. And with that, they all made their way towards Coco's diner, with some personnel traversing by Fox's Arwing and the others dashing towards there by foot.

It was a time of great peril. Protagonists and sidekicks, friends and enemies, antagonists and neutrals… personnel of every kind of role in fictional media would be threatened by the coming of what could be an apocalypse to the city.

And if the event has to be acted upon, the time for the city to unite would be now.

_-end of chapter-_


	17. A Bond United

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Man, it's not easy trying to find a way to get on to submit completed chapters for this thing. I've got coursework deadlines in the next two weeks, so of course it's bound to get stressful. Either way I appreciated all input on the previous chapter.

Interestingly enough, when trying to conjure up certain scenes, I like to have music in the background to help channel my thoughts. For the battle with Ripto there, I had a lot of CarboHydroM's stuff flowing through Winamp at the time, mainly some of his more recent and moodier material ("Open Future" seems to spring to mind at this point). Though yes, I never thought it could cater well to Sonic 2006 music as well; sure makes a change from Crush 40, I assure you :p

Anyway, we saw what happened in the last chapter. It's judgment day as far as the city is concerned. Ariel has Akumi and all seven Samaritans, yet what he wants with them is just about anyone's guess. It's all a matter of time to figure out a way towards the floating Imaginarium tower and restore order.

We're very close to the end; I can't believe we've come this far already. Whichever happens, I hope these last few chapters start to pack a heck of a punch. Thanks again!

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_The woodland meeting managed to go ahead as planned. It was a beautiful afternoon, with birds flying above us, gracing the skies with such elegant flying techniques that would make any kid smile with wonder._

_We even got a great view of the action from a small clearing inside the woods that we managed to locate. There were a lot of mushroom stubs and wooden stumps to sit upon which made everything worthwhile and gorgeous to take in._

_It was great for me to take a break, and that can also be said upon Han's facial expression, but no one could have been as excited as Akumi at that point. She literally jumped her way from home to this location. Trust me, you should have seen it – it was just as smile-inducing as the beauty of the forest._

_"I can't believe this is going ahead, Fletch!" she jumped around like a mad March hare. "I love you so much for the organisation on getting you to see my dad!"_

_"Yeah, time really goes past like a blur these days, huh?" I replied back to her._

_There, she ended up kissing me on the cheek. I felt so warm and radiant at the touch of it, leaving me to grant one of the cheesiest smiles that could ever grace my face in months. It wasn't long until I looked towards Han, still maintaining that key happy expression._

_"I say we arrange the food out here, Han. It sounds peaceful enough."_

_"I'm on it!"_

_And with that, he opened the picnic basket and started layering everything down piece by piece – first there was the blanket, and then came all the dishes, followed by all the sandwiches and savouries that we managed to pack up. But it was until… I felt a shadow creep across Han's face, causing him to stop in his tracks._

_"Han?" I started to ask him. "What's wrong?"_

_"Uh, you need to look here, man…"_

_He then pointed towards a nearby bush, where inside, a bird was seen going around it. But it wasn't just any old bird. It was a tall white bird with a long neck – a very threatening species that I saw here just months ago._

_"A goose?" I panicked with horror. "NO!!"_

_Upon the sight of it, I soon ended up cowering behind a nearby bush, trying to escape from the bird's grasp. There, Han leered on at it, being able to pick up a nearby twig, this one being almost as thick as a coffee mug and almost as long as himself._

_"I've got this one! I'm not letting this thing try to attack you!"_

_There, he charged towards the goose, knowing well to the full extent of the trauma that I've been through with these creatures in the past. The goose then made its charge, trying to tug the stick away from him._

_Yet Han thought ahead of the game, being able to try and inflict any damage upon its back as the goose continued its attack. I noticed from the bush all the action that was going on… as well as a distinct pair of stripes gracing one of its wings. My eyes widened._

_"That wing pattern… it looks like the same one that took my eye!"_

_"It's a species thing!" Han bickered back towards me. "How are we to tell that various species of animal look different? It sounds impossible, especially with birds!!"_

_Han ended up losing his focus slightly, causing the goose to end up suddenly striking him across the chest. He soon reacted by raising the stick high into the air, hoping to strike the bird upon the head._

_"Get down!"_

_And upon the head it did… yet it still was agile enough to pick itself up and take a hold of the stick on its beak. And like a bear trap, it instantly reduced the stick down to half the size. That caused Han's face to turn pale._

_"He's broken the stick! Akumi, watch out!"_

_Akumi looked on at the picnic; feeling desperate, she ended up crouching towards the rug and tried to pull the food towards one side. But it wasn't long until the goose caught up with her and brought its face inside a thick lemon pie._

_"Get off the pie!" she shouted with an ear-piercing scream. "I'm not letting you eat our lunch!"_

_Akumi continued to desperately pull the food away, but the bird still held onto the pie as if it was a life-saving device. Showing a face filling with frustration, she ended up standing up and bending down towards it._

_"Do I need to threaten you? I don't even want to do it with such elegant creatures like you!"_

_I rolled my eyes at the chance. "Elegant, my-"_

_"Don't say it!!" she continued to scream._

_The bird continued to eat the pie, and once it was finished dealing with it, it then ended up making its approach towards Akumi, trying to attack her with its yellowed lips, the sauce of the desert creeping down its body._

_She then reacted by pushing it straight away from her body, causing it to fly its way towards the middle of the clearing. Then it charged straight back towards the picnic, its beak aimed towards several ceramic pots that graced the side of the rug._

_"Akumi, move the china set elsewhere before it breaks it!"_

_"Okay Han!"_

_There, she brought her way towards the front of the rug, with one hand trying to defend herself from the goose and the other defending the ceramic pots as she tried to stack them into a small tower._

_"This thing's almost too fast!" she flinched. "What the heck does it even want with us?"_

_There, the goose ended up trying to bite her legs, causing her to scream. Finally, the ceramic pots were stacked, and she brought herself up, carried them behind my hiding place and positioned them there. The goose then proceeded to make its way towards the sandwiches, but before it could even touch those, Han stood over it, holding the two broken halves of the stick like daggers._

_"Stand back!"_

_Akumi's eyes instantly widened. "HAN! NO!"_

_And then, Han made his assault once more, trying to attack the bird as he continued to assault it. But before he could even do anything else to it, the bird then reacted by raising its wings and trying to blow Han away from him._

_Yet he still reacted by continuing to swipe down at the bird. But before anything else could be done, the bird then reacted by hovering up and inside a nearby tree. That left Han to look up with confusion._

_"Now where did he go? I can't believe he'd move so fast…"_

_A moment of silence briefly covered the area, but that was until a tug was heard on my back, followed by a shattering of pottery. I looked behind myself, and saw the goose trying to pull tightly upon my stomach, aiming its vicious beak towards my face!_

_"It's cornered me!" I screamed towards my accomplices. "It's going to take my other eye!"_

_"I've got it!"_

_Han then made his leap straight towards the bird, raising the sticks straight into the air as he did so. And as soon as he got there, he ended up striking the bird straight into its eyes, causing it to wince._

_In pain, and struggling to see, it then flew off straight back the way it came. And as it left, the sound of silence once again graced the clearing. Both Han and I smiled on with success, as we managed to stand up to my fear and counter it._

_But the silence was soon disturbed by a solemn cry. We turned towards the direction, and right there, Akumi was seen, her face looking distraught due to the damage the creature granted towards the picnic._

_I merely gasped at the sight of her. "Akumi!"_

_I then made my walk towards her, trying to grasp upon her. She then looked towards me, clearly defined tears being shown upon her eyes. She then ended up hugging me tightly upon my chest, disappointed to see the picnic at such a wrecked state._

_Considering that all that the goose did at the end of the day was eat up an entire lemon pie, I wouldn't feel too concerned. Yet for a great day when we should be seeing Akumi's father, a situation like that could easily scare her so much._

_There was only one task for me to cover, and that was to take great care of her as the picnic was straightened up and re-layered, while waiting for her father to come and hoping to explain everything in front of him.  
_

* * *

Day 7

_Coco's Diner, Rosemary Fields District – 3:00PM_

Several hours passed, and the invites to meet at Coco's Diner flew around like hotcakes. Over time, the main room that housed many guests only during the course of the annual drink-offs were filled with personnel from all over the city.

Many of which were seen in their own circle of friends, trying to get used to their coming surroundings. That was with the exception of Coco, whom was seen running around, trying to serve hot drinks for everyone who requested them.

Near the counter stood Han, looking on at the sight ahead of him with a keen eye. He then looked on at four untouched tables, each of which being big enough to pay host to groups of mainly large sizes.

"Okay, let's get organised here – Samaritan Heirs go on this table, Senate members on this one, Scarlet Wolf go here, and everyone else sit down there."

His organisational skills led the Samaritan Heirs as known on one table, the Senate members to move to another, all the Scarlet Wolf members minus Praxis on another, and everyone else sitting nearby.

Only Senator Murfy was having trouble, tearing himself between the Senate and the Samaritan Heirs. Some of the personnel showed concern, but that was until he brought out a chain upon his arm, showing a red gemstone placed upon it. In response, he was invited to sit with the rest of the Heirs – the table in which Han spent more of his time looking straight over at Gourmet Guy than anyone else.

"Gourmet Guy, why do you have Pikachu with you?" Han sighed with disbelief.

"He won't leave me alone!" he exclaimed with a blink.

The yellow rodent smiled happily as he sat upon Guy's lap. "Pikachu!"

All that Han could do was shrug. "Fine, if you want to keep him happy we'll leave you with him."

Gourmet Guy only just managed to give off a shrug as he ended up holding onto Pikachu. At the same time, Jade managed to storm her way through the front door, her face starting to show a moderate sign of annoyance.

"I'm sorry I'm late", she frowned. "Sam Fischer wants nothing to do with us."

"That's understandable" Han shook his head. "It's his loss for staying at Club Ubi."

Maintaining the same expression that she had when she came in, Jade sat down with the rest of the group that she travelled with. The only person that was missing there was Fletch, whom by that time was inside the room of mirrors, with his eyes focused on Etna.

"Thanks for everything, Etna", Fletch smiled with gratitude. "I never knew you'd be helpful enough to give me the plans. But what's all this about further mysteries of the Spear of Visions?"

"I need to tell you the truth" she sternly spoke back. "Though I'm not a true Imaginarium Guardian, I do know of the spear's mysteries. The Guardians of the past have used various spears of this type to entrap shadows and stop them from seeping out into the world. Ariel could be one of which, and with the right movements he could face a greater punishment than death."

Etna then showed a light glare as she ended up bringing one of her hands onto the spear itself. Her knowledge upon its power started to allow Fletch to show mixed signs of ease and nervousness at the same time.

"I want you to get in there and fight him well, Fletch", she ordered the boy. "Please do it - for the city, and for your greatest comrades in the outside world."

The very remark caused Fletch to smile and salute towards Etna, raising his spear valiantly into the air as he did so. Confidently, he made his walk straight towards the others inside the main room itself.

But before he could go further, Etna ended up rushing up to him and tapping him on the shoulder. She brought her other hand into the pockets of her uniform, bringing out the last of the green emblems of the Samaritans. Seeing the silhouette of an artistic oval-shaped face – the Seal of Mar – was enough to know that that belonged to Guardian Jak.

Not long after that, she then passed him a rolled up scroll, giving off an assuring nod. Fletch looked down at the seal and saw Ariel's emblem placed upon it – proof that inside the scroll was an important document. He looked towards the others with a keen eye, ready to reveal the contents.

"I've got the Imaginarium plans from Etna", Fletch spoke with a joyous tone. "I hope this would help as a guide on how to pull off the counterattack."

"Excellent", applauded Han. "Lay it down on the table!"

Fletch followed his command and placed the scroll upon an empty table. He then rolled it out, and right in front of him, he saw the blueprints for the construction of the Imaginarium from top-down view and the front view.

There, most of the personnel looked over it, and saw the buildings for themselves. Han showed a wide smile at the sight of everything there, yet in spite of that he ended up raising an eyebrow towards what looked like a parasol on the tallest tower.

"Okay, so what's this thing right at the top of the largest tower?" Han asked the others.

"That's the Wishing Point", replied Etna. "When the time comes, personnel of the city come to the tower to grant their wishes to the outside world. Usually it's only the Samaritans and the Heirs that have almost infinite access to this sector, which is why the latter group are very important for this mission."

"Are you telling me this Wishing Point thing is something that he would want?" asked Fletch with a twitched lip. "He already has the city under his own command as an emperor."

"There's more to it than that", frowned Axel. "Sure he did the right thing in giving jobs to the unemployed, but what about those affected by this?"

"Some of them may not even get the best jobs as a result", Wolf responded with a shake of the head. "I mean, look at Baron Praxis here – he's still doing odd jobs to pay off his mortgage."

The mention of Praxis caused Axel to suddenly stand up. "Leave him or I'll ignite your pants!"

Axel shook his fist bitterly at Wolf, whom ended up reacting with slight hesitance through his own facial expression. There, he quickly turned towards the rest of the group, many of which still showing keen expression after keen expression at the plans.

"Anyway, there's something else he's plotting, and I don't like the way this is going", Wolf lowered his head as he spoke. "We need to make an action plan, quickly!"

"I think I know where I'm going, Wolf!"

Standing firmly on both feet, Fletch raised his spear into the air once again and pointed it towards a point around the back of the tallest tower. It wasn't long until he ended up pointing back towards Wolf and everyone on his table.

"Scarlet Wolf will fly to the tower and serve as a back-up squadron" Fletch commanded them.

Wolf's ears rose up. "Fly? But I only have one Wolfen ship, and I can't claim it until I go inside the Imaginarium's Training Sector."

"That's not a problem, Wolf", Peppy nodded confidently. "We have a lot of custom-made fliers that you can borrow for the use of the mission. We, the Senate of Theoropolis, will be happy to pay back on all damage delivered."

Wolf looked on at Peppy in amazement. To him, it felt rare that an adversary would even be that grateful to begin with. Yet at the same time, a powerful smile showed up on his mouth, indicating his passion for flight once again.

"I take that's that settled", nodded Wolf.

Fox soon managed to stand up not long after that. "In the meantime, I'll take Fletch and his gang on the Tour Arwing, making sure we'll protect the Samaritan Heirs on the way."

"I'll also keep the rest of the Senate – minus Senator Murfy doing his Heir job – as close together as possible on the outskirts", followed Etna. "I'll make sure that they and the prinnies will keep the remaining citizens at bay."

Fletch was left to smile while folding his hands tightly. He gave off a keen raise of the eyebrow before looking on at the map again… where one more area in the front view blueprints ended up catching his attention.

"But it leaves one hatch near the foot of the tower", muttered the boy. "But what's the point of putting the door there if no one is going to use it?"

He then lowered his head, curious over the importance of the hatch. But that was before the Queen suddenly stood up and raised her hand into the air. They all looked towards her, Han showing the most curiosity.

"What is it this time?" he asked her.

"Please, escort me there" she pleaded to him. "I may be feeble, but I will provide a great source of energy that will get us into the basement. I know that you may find it to be a silly idea, but I've known the Imaginarium like the back of my hand and I will know that the basement will have just as much of a link to the mission as the tower."

"What about the Wishing Point?"

"The other Heirs will get in just fine. On top of that, as long as we're all inside that tower, everything will still go according to plan. Please, believe in me."

Her plea was then heard. Fletch and Han looked towards one another; the former ended up giving out a confident nod, causing the latter to end up looking back towards her with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, I'll escort you on foot", Han reluctantly nodded. "Fletch, do you need extra firepower?"

"I can handle it", he responded back confidently. "I've grown so much more powerful since you dragged me into the woods to find Akumi. Trust me."

Fletch then held tightly onto his own spear, leaving Han to look down at it with a moderate blink. How he would figure out how much of a powerful warrior Fletch could be outside his time with Ripto would take some time, he thought to himself.

Outside from that, everyone knew that they have a plan formed. Their goal on rescuing the Samaritans and hopefully being able to recover Akumi in the process has been established with a strategy that could be able to succeed.

Yet, whatever tricks Ariel could have up his sleeve would be of another light concern. With that in mind, they knew that no matter how close or strayed away the plan could be pulled off, they had to be ready for the unexpected.

* * *

The Inaginarium at that point was no longer covered with the majestic blue color scheme that it had when Fletch first entered. Aside from some of the remains from the fire several days ago, the interiors were entirely re-decorated. 

Everything was red, purple and platinum in terms of color scheme – an eerie and sinister set of textures that would cause any living creature that would wonder into there to shake in their own boots.

Near the corridor, there walked one sole figure – a male figure with short brown hair, a blue cap with a black and white striped tail on it, a black cloak covering colorful clothing around him, and deep, glowing brown eyes to match his goatee.

"The Samaritans are at last in my possession", he spoke with a deep, malicious tone. "And now, I am ready to make my greatest ascent ever."

The figure then made his walk towards a cellar, where as soon as he got there, he activated a keypad. And as soon as the right number combination was implemented, the door opened, and right there he saw a figure lying on a bright pedestal.

"Akumi, my precious. You were foretold in the prophecy. I don't understand how poorly raised you ended up being by your adopted family, but alas. You have faced a bad slip-up."

There, he ended up coming towards the pedestal. And true to his words, Akumi was seen lying upon the pedestal, in the exact same state as shown in Ripto's vision. There, the figure placed his hand upon her cheek, rubbing it gently with his fingertips.

"Regardless, the light will still make its way to Theoropolis. The thing is... they didn't know exactly what kind of light is coming. And you will be my living host."

Smiling gently, he knew that there was going to be a sequence of plans starting to form upon him. Bearing that in mind, he ended up walking his way towards another side of the room, where he saw a switch placed nearby.

He then flipped it, and not long after that, a glass container was then being slowly moved over the pedestal that Akumi laid upon. As soon as it was brought directly above her, it slowly made its descent, instantly trapping her inside.

From the tip of the container, a small metallic point sent up a beam of light directly above it. At the very sight of it, the figure gave off a sinister smile at the action that was being pulled off; he knew that whatever plan he had developed was in full swing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Fletch's plan was set in progress. Down below, the Senate members minus Murfy, as well as Etna and the prinnies, were seen acting as support for the worried personnel around the city, many of them gathering around the square at the White Dragonfly district to see the action. 

In the skies, the Tour Arwing was seen flying high. Being packed like sardines inside the seating area were Fletch and his accomplices, along with six of the Samaritan Heirs – Coco Bandicoot, Senator Murfy, Baron Praxis, Blaze the Cat, Ripto and Gourmet Guy, the latter _still_ traversing with Pikachu.

Upon the sight of the tower, they saw an eerie glowing purple crystal structure surrounding the front. There were also several black bird-like creatures flying around it, hovering their way around the perimeter.

"Fox!" Fletch quickly commanded. "Guide the Arwing down!"

Reacting well to Fletch's command, Fox – sitting in the cockpit at the time – managed to lower the Arwing slightly lower in the sky. Once there, they managed to take a slightly closer view towards the tower.

The crystal itself also looked more dangerous on close-up – alongside that, several glowing orbs of an eerie lilac and crimson light were seen floating around them, acting as defence mechanisms for the structure ahead.

"I think we've got trouble up ahead", frowned Fox. "Dangerous power spores are emitting from the Imaginarium's tower. To me, that sounds like really tight security!"

"Meaning…?" Fletch responded, puzzled.

Murfy then hovered above, over-reacting in body language as he spoke. "Getting inside will be hard, especially for us Samaritan Heirs to release the "masters", and for you to fight Ariel and slam him to the ground harder than a Sumo wrestler on the world's largest stack of china dishes!"

"That's nothing we can't do", Fletch grinned with determination. "Wolf will be here before long with those custom fliers. We can do this!"

Fletch's smile didn't last for long, however. One of the energy spores were soon launched towards the Arwing, causing Fox to quickly perform a 360 degrees turn out of the way. At the very reaction, the boy started to show a more concerned glare.

"On second thought, it's becoming more vigorous. We need to fight back!"

"I'm with you!"

Near the back of the cockpit, Praxis managed to stand up and withdrew his blade, still being able to maintain its neon green glow around it. All that Fletch could do was gasp at the Baron's sudden reaction.

"Praxis, I told you to stay put!" Fletch exclaimed with concern. "You're Jak's heir!"

"It's better me than the rest of your party", explained the Baron. "Your group of seven including yourself have done so much already. And this time, it's us that will pay the favor."

Fletch paused for several seconds. "Us?"

Near him, Blaze stood up, being able to ignite her hands with small flames as she did so. Ripto also followed, this time raising a wooden pole with the crystal on his old sceptre tied onto it firmly with twine.

"I'll help you every step of the way", Blaze jumped with confidence.

"Same here", nodded Ripto. "Still, I wasn't expecting to say it while carrying a wooden sceptre!"

Fletch looked on at the three of them, all of them looking as determined to make their mark upon the journey as ever. He knew that any attempt he could pull off to try and get them to stay inside the Arwing could be effortless, as at any moment any of the floating spores could strike the Arwing and send them to oblivion.

"Alright", Fletch gave in. "But don't blame me if you run out of steam when we get to the tower!"

The boy then went towards a nearby escape hatch and brought himself outside. He then secured himself on one of the wings of the Arwing, with Praxis standing next to him and Blaze and Ripto coming towards the opposite side of the ship.

There, they all brought themselves in action stances as the spores started to react by departing from their positions and starting to make their way directly towards the Arwing. Some of the black flying figures were soon to follow.

"Here they come!" Fletch raised his voice. "Quick, let's make our move!"

"I've got this one!"

Blaze then pointed straight up towards a spore that was coming straight in her direction, along with several others to the side of it. At the sight of it, she leapt up into the air, and allowed her hands to be engulfed in flames.

She then triggered her hands forward, causing a series of burning embers to be launched towards the spores. Upon contact with them, they just burnt into rubble, allowing them to vanish without making any sort of impact.

"How do you like the arts of fire?" she taunted towards her targets.

She then continued to launch fireball after fireball, striking them easily towards some of the lesser agile projectiles. Yet in spite of that, some of the spores and flying figures – now identified to be nothing but hovering shadow monsters – continued to advance past the attacks and towards the Arwing.

"Some of these are reaching the plane!" she exclaimed to the others. "This is getting tough!"

"Not a problem for us shorter-distanced attackers", smiled Praxis. "Fletch! Come with me!"

Praxis looked towards Fletch while placing a hand on his shoulder; in return, the boy nodded back. They then ran above the window panels of the passenger compartment, held tightly onto their weapons and looked on at the coming spores and shadows together.

Praxis instantly raised his blade into the air. "Let's go together!"

"I'm on it, sir!" saluted Fletch.

Quickly, they both made their pounce towards the onslaught of spores and shadows, instantly knocking them over as if they were baseballs. Several soon started to come towards their feet, causing them to leap over and strike them from behind.

"Bite the dust!"

Fletch did an additional manoeuvre by leaping towards a higher spore and stabbing it before hurling it into oblivion. Yet in spite of their best efforts, some of them soared too high to be able to reach them, making them unable to damage them directly.

"Let me deal with those above!" Ripto brawled as he looked up. "HOCUS POCUS!!"

Holding onto his "sceptre", Ripto launched a crimson sickle from the crystal that formed the tip of his weapon. And there, the remaining spores and shadows were sent to fall towards the surface, straight towards their doom.

"That was almost too easy", boasted Ripto. "Now, what should we do about that crystal?"

"Let's just get closer first", Fletch calmly spoke back. "I'm sure we'll form an action plan."

Standing firmly upon the wings of the Arwing, the ship zoomed further and further ahead, coming up towards the crystal. Though the spores and shadows had gone, Fletch knew that almost anything could happen as they would come closer towards the eerie structure.

Meanwhile, back towards the surface, Han was seen holding onto the hand of the Queen of All Cosmos, as they both were seen making their run towards the ruins of the Imaginarium. They soon managed to ascend a tall brick wall in the process.

Once there, they stormed ahead, with Han being the lead in the pair. Yet in spite of this, his face showed concern as he looked straight back towards the queen with a mild blink starting to form in his eyes.

"I hope you're doing things the right way, miss", he said with concern to her. "I don't want to be tied in at a tough situation like this if the whole thing about the Imaginarium's basement is false. Besides, with the tower already detached, how can you tell what kind of energies it has?"

"It's an ancient building dating back from many hundreds of years", the Queen started to explain. "I've read countless books about it and I should know that it's always the foundations that make things as they are today, even if they are thousands of feet apart!"

Han ended up nodding, accepting the Queen's explanation. But before anything else could happen, several shadows materialised from out of nowhere, hovering their way towards them both.

"What kind of monsters are those?" Han blinked at the sight of them.

The Queen, however, reacted with a cowardly scream. "QUICK! Take them down!!!"

By the Queen's command, Han tried to attack the group with whatever means he could find – pebbles, twigs, nearby sharp projectiles, and ultimately a battered fencing sword that was located further up the path.

As he attacked the monsters more and more, he then felt a strange sensation starting to surround his hand. All of a sudden, a glow of light was glowing around the hand that held onto the sword, leaving him to show more concern.

Several of the shadows were killed off almost aimlessly, and then, a sudden white sickle launched from the blade soon ultimately ceased the rest. Showing a facial expression that filled with confusion, he maintained the grip upon the Queen's hand with his other free hand and rushed further and further towards the foot of the broken tower.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the surface, the Senator members and the Prinnies were doing everything they can to assure the personnel of the city that they were in no grave danger. Even Bill and Ted contributed by performing several acoustic guitar sets towards the younger citizens. 

However, Senator Cortex wasn't seen joining in. Though this time it wasn't because of his own separate plans; he was left in deep thought, sitting on the rim of one of the fountains in the square between the White Dragonfly and Rosemary Field districts.

"I hope they will take them down fine enough", he sighed to himself.

"Don't get all worked up about it, Senator Cortex."

He looked behind him, and saw Peppy making his walk towards him. There, the hare sat down next to him, both of them looking on at the floating tower ahead of them, exchanging concerned glances towards one another.

"See, I owe an apology on behalf of the Senate for acting the way we did initially", Peppy frowned, his ears drooping slightly. "We would have never thought it would come to this."

"Yeah, and it's also wrong in my part to be so greedy", replied another voice. "We should have looked at the old Aesop fable about the dog and the bone – greed leads to nothing."

The remark caused them both to look back together – Etna was seen joining them. She then made her way to the other side of Cortex, but instead of sitting down, she placed a hand on his shoulder and gave off an assuring smile.

"But there's no need to worry about that now", she shook her head. "We aren't dealing with greed. We're dealing with the fate of the world."

"But what can we do from there?" Cortex asked her with a wide-eyed look.

"We provide faith for those up there. Simple as that."

She pointed towards the tower – the only darkening structure in the bright yellow afternoon sky. The sun managed to shine, allowing them to show growing confidence as time started to grow on and on.

"Come on Fletch", Cortex pleaded with his fingers crossed. "I know you can do it!"

With a ray of hope showing upon his face, he brought his hands towards Etna and Peppy and held them tightly. All three of them looked on at the floating tower structure together, awaiting to see the results of the assault in front of their own eyes.

* * *

Not too far from the scene, several blue fighter planes were seen flying above, making their way straight towards the floating tower. They gave off bright jets of white smoke behind them, thickening as they went faster and faster. 

All five of them gathered in a star-like formation, with one of which taking center stage and the other four hovering upon the "corners" of the shape. Within the cockpit of one of them, Wolf was seen taking a hold of a communications device and speaking through it.

"Let's do this together, everyone. Senator Hare gave us these fliers for a reason, whether we like it or not."

"Right atcha, bro!" Dimitri confidently responded back.

Courtney gave off a slight giggle. "Miss Gears is on the loose!"

"I've got the greatest twin lasers around on this ship!" boasted Axel. "Got it memorised?"

Boba reacted with a growl before speaking. "Shut up and start shooting!"

Upon the command, Axel quickly hesitantly started launching gun fire, allowing a set of green twin lasers to launch towards random locations in the sky. Though it resulted in small parts of the crystal breaking off, all he did was blush with regret, knowing that he might have jumped the gun in comparison to the rest of the team.

They then located themselves to the point that the crystal was merely a quarter of a mile away from them. On the sight of it, Wolf signalled two beeps upon the com link, causing all the ships to charge bright green auras from the tip.

"Fire now!"

And then, they all launched fire together, but instead of going in a straight direction, they all started to swirl around each other as they got closer and closer towards the crystal. The lasers then came closer too, before ultimately forming a significantly thicker beam halfway between the ships and their target.

The laser then started to give off an intense set of heat as it started to come closer and closer towards the destination. Yet at the same time, that was exactly where Fletch and the Arwing were approaching.

Upon feeling the heat, the boy looked straight towards the direction of the laser. And as he saw it hurtling towards them as well as the crystal, his face started to drain of all possible trace of color and warmth.

"Everyone, DUCK!!"

Upon his command, Blaze, Praxis and Ripto all ducked at the same time, with Fletch soon following suit. The laser then passed straight above them, with the aura only just skimming the surface of his hat.

And then, it managed to reach the crystal, where it instantly struck onto it. The aura then started to penetrate the structure, before it finally gave off enough power to be able to smash it into pieces.

A powerful glow of blinding white light energy engulfed the area, which caused Fletch to struggle to see what was going on. As it faded out, he then saw that the crystal had vanished, and all that remained was an archway leading inside.

"We did it!" Wolf cheered towards the rest of his squadron. "The forces are down! Now Fletch can go and show Ariel what he's made of. We should have a few drinks at Club Ubi to celebrate!"

Smiling, Wolf took a tighter grasp upon the steering proportions of the ship and guided it away from the tower. The others soon followed, yet among the team, only Axel ended up showing deep concern.

"Shouldn't we be helping him out even more?" he frowned lightly. "As the saying goes, it's not over until the fat lady sings!"

"No problem", Courtney flirtingly replied. "Give me some petrol and I'll gain a few extra pounds."

Frowning with disbelief at Courtney's comment, all that Axel would do was steer the ship further on. It didn't take long until he finally was able to catch up with the rest of the Scarlet Wolf squadron, ready to take a break from the action.

Back with Fletch and the others, he and the three Heirs made their way back inside the cockpit, leaving them to look through the windowpanes at the archway that stood between them and the interior of the floating tower.

The Arwing then ended up stopping at a ledge. The panels then opened up, and that time, the boy was the first to make his exit, looking through the dark and foreboding passage that was placed ahead.

"The core is ours!" Fletch beamed. "We'll see what we can make of all this! Samaritan Heirs, come with me. Darkwing, you send your side of the party to guard the doors."

"Okay, trust me to deal with the dodgy stuff" Darkwing sighed miserably. "Fine."

Sulking, Darkwing ended up standing on one end of the archway, with Sora and Jade coming near to him. Spidey, Ratchet and Joanna occupied the other side, with the former looking onto the other two, trying to prevent any breakouts between them.

As that happened, the six Heirs left the ship and joined Fletch as he went to the interiors of the tower. As soon as they stepped in, all trace of light was soon depleted, leaving them to traverse through nothing but darkness.

With only the tip of Ripto's sceptre lighting the way, they knew that there would be a grave difficulty on the way to the end of the passage, regardless of whatever it would contain. From that moment, they had to be more cautious than ever.

* * *

Several flights of stairs were climbed, mini-passages were taken, and ladders were also ascended. A full fifteen minutes was what took the group to reach the end of the passage from the outside. 

It soon resulted with them going towards a beautifully decorated ornate door, with golden flower markings and spirals upon its brick red front. The group looked on at each other, knowing that they have finally reached the end of the path.

Fletch took a hold of the doorknob, and opened it gently. And as soon as he stepped inside, a bright red room greeted him; it was filled with cables and statues, as well as the seven capsules that the Samaritans were situated.

"This is it, huh?" Fletch questioned with wonder. "The Samaritans' lair?"

Blinking gently, he went into the middle of the room and focused his eyes on every single Samaritan that was inside. Crash Bandicoot. Rayman. Guardian Jak. Sonic the Hedgehog. Spyro the Dragon. Mario. And the King of All Cosmos.

With his hands quivering with fear, he looked back at the Heirs sharing that expression. Though some of the personnel soon showed that look back, only Blaze and Ripto managed to stand there without expression.

"How would we tell that this would be the location? Especially from Etna's maps?" Fletch questioned the rest of the personnel around him. "She's not even an heir herself!"

"Yes, but we as a partnership managed to sense everything, thanks to Coco's emblem linking with Crash's soul", explained Ripto. "That's the point of us Heirs – look out for each other, whether we're friend or foe."

Ripto's enlightenment managed to settle firmly into Fletch's mind. Who would have thought that gemstones would connect towards the Samaritans of the city in the way that they did, he thought gently to himself.

"I suppose that's fair", the boy nodded back.

With an understanding glance, he looked straight back towards the capsules. In an act of randomness he ran towards Sonic's capsule and felt the glass that separated him from said blue hedgehog. Knocking on the glass showed that it could be too tough to break by force.

"But how should we get them out of here?" he asked with a frown. "It seems tough enough just to break them out of those glass cages."

"Look!" Coco responded, pointing at several stone tablets. "I see seven pedestals. If we use our emblems there, they could be set free. I know we're without the Queen, but I think it'll be a start."

The pedestals that were placed directly in front of the glass containers glistened gently in the manufactured light that surrounded the room. With a light twitch of the lip, Fletch walked over to the pedestal in front of Sonic.

Feeling the cold and hard cobalt texture, he somehow came to realise that it could be a clue over the procedure to free the Samaritans. There, he looked towards the Heirs, and one by one, they placed their emblems onto the pedestals, in front of the respective Samaritan that they had links with. That resulted in Ripto giving up the crystal on his sceptre to Coco, whom placed it upon Crash's pedestal.

As a result, the only pedestal that was left empty was that for the King. They knew that without the Queen's input, they could be stumped unless another means to activate it could be located, and quickly.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the base of the ruins, Han and the Queen soon managed to dash their way inside the cellars. A similar dark passage greeted them upon entry, though in comparison to what Fletch faced, it looked much more straightforward. 

All that separated them from the end was nothing but a spiral flight of stairs. As soon as they reached the bottom, they managed to locate a door with a keypad. Sighing, Han instantly broke it with the sword that he managed to pick up, by then looking more polished after the fighting with it.

The door was then opened, leaving them to step inside. A similarly lit room graced them, though the light source was coming from a horizontal capsule in the middle. And right there, Han saw the figure trapped inside it.

"Akumi?"

He rushed towards the glass pane and placed his hands upon it. And true to his words, there laid Akumi, in the same position that Ripto's vision showed. The metallic structure casting the light beam above was also present above her, with the Queen focusing on that especially.

"The legends are true!" she gasped. "There's something that powers the Imaginarium Tower!"

"It can't be her!" Han shook his head vigorously. "We've only been in the city for about a week!"

"Well I know for sure that it's some figure that powers the circuits. I've come to assure that it was the frozen figures of the earliest Greek mythical Guardians of the tower!"

"What explains all this that's next to her?"

Han pointed around his surroundings, and saw various cables that ran around the immediate area. The Queen however ended up focusing on a different sight – several horizontal crates that were stashed around the other side of the room, leaving her to assume that was where the frozen Greeks were stored.

"Besides, we need to open it, quickly!" Han expressed with hesitance. "Do you have an idea?"

"It's a dodgy shot", the Queen sighed, "but I'll give it a go anyway."

The Queen then made a gentle approach towards the capsule. Looking down at Akumi trapped inside left her blue eyes to glisten with a more morbid glare than what can be usually associated with her.

But she knew that by looking at Han's expression alone that she was his original goal, and that something had to be done to break her free from the capsule that contained her. Raising her hands together, a gulf of white light energy started to surround her.

"By the command of the Secretary of Theoropolis, the Queen of All Cosmos, I will want to free this poor soul and send her to our side."

The energy soon started to form an immensely glowing orb, which soon ended up breaking its way up the ruins and through the portion of the ceiling that she stood under. The light also ended up engulfing Akumi's chamber as well.

By that, it slowly started to surround every portion of the glass compartment, allowing several cracks to form upon it. At the sight of it, Han showed a sign of success to see her freed, and concern to see how she could react.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Samaritans' chamber, the beam of light that the Queen sent was shot straight through the floor, going through the King's pedestal in the process. Fletch quickly took a step back at the sign of it. 

"What's going on?" he questioned his accomplices.

"I don't know, but I don't like the way this is goin'", shrugged Murfy.

Guy lowered his head towards the floor. "Me neither. It sounds like I've got gas."

Most of the group were urged to look at Guy with his comment, but before anything could happen, a rumble was felt around their immediate surroundings. They knew at the sound of it, a mysterious event would soon occur.

And then, Fletch noticed what was happening. The Samaritans' capsules were seen shaking, most notably by the glass panes. By the sight of them, he knew that the light somehow could trigger their escape.

"The glasses!" Fletch shouted with surprise. "They're opening!"

Expecting to see them open sometime soon, he pointed straight towards the capsules, leaving everyone to look on at them all with widened eyes around them. Hope soon filled the air once again.

Yet, their looks suddenly started to turn to concern, as they saw several cracks starting to form in the middle of the King's capsule. They looked at the others, and saw the same happening to them too.

"Wait…" Fletch blinked. "They're breaking apart?"

Gasping with fright, they were left to look on at them with a blank expression, concerned for what could end up happening as a result. All that they could do was stand and watch, or hold each other's hands, hoping for the best.

And finally, the chambers shattered open. Jak was the first personnel to end up falling through the hole that was formed, leaving him to land on his stomach on the floor. All that the group could do was look on as they saw the other Samaritans do the same.

Eventually, they were all freed, able to face the wide-open space of the room around them. But just as slowly as they escaped, they started to come to as well, looking moderately confused over their precise location to be sure.

"Ow… my head", moaned Jak as he rubbed the back of his scalp. "Where… where are we?"

"Beats me", Spyro replied with a puzzled tone. "I don't even like the looks of this place."

Near them, Crash instantly sat up and started giving off intelligible gargling sounds that occurred for several seconds non-stop, complete with occasional mischievous guffaws. At the sound, Jak and Spyro looked at each other, and then at Crash, simultaneously raising eyebrows.

"I feel like I've been to sleep for a month", Rayman winced. "What's going on?"

"I bet it had to do with that-a Ripto fella!" Mario shouted while pointing at the orange prophet.

"Hey, don't put the blame on me!" Ripto retaliated back. "I only wanted you guys to help bring down Emperor Ariel. I would return you as soon as possible!

Sonic soon stood toe to toe with him. "You mustn't do that by imprisoning us, shrimp! We can handle it by ourselves! It's just finding the right moment to use our power to bring him down!"

"You…" Fletch blinked with deep concern. "You've been planning it all along, haven't you?"

"It happens year after year", frowned the King. "The Samaritans would gather together to find a way to annihilate Emperor Ariel from his throne. Though our rule was fine, we would influence the city ourselves and not make it as brash and loud as it was. The prophecy even stated that he would bring the light, but we saw from many of his past actions that he would bring light in a different way than we would think."

Fletch continued to show an inquisitive look. "As in the shade?"

"Now just wait a second", Coco suddenly paused the conversation by sticking her hands out. "If you're the Prime Chancellor of the city, why didn't you speak up sooner?

"Emperor Ariel has eyes for everything. If he even found out that we would plot behind his back, he would retaliate and do something to make us forget! So, though the city looked fine and normal, we were being close watched by an entity even worse than Big Brother."

Once again, Fletch maintained a bamboozled glance at the King. "Big Brother?"

"You need to read more George Orwell books, Fletch" Praxis shook his head. "I'll give you a hint – _Nineteen Eighty-Four_."

Praxis's comment left Fletch to end up blinking slightly. Maybe the Baron was right – he needed to read more literature, he thought to himself. But the thoughts were soon interrupted by a light quake starting to form from the ceiling, with the King being able to feel some debris falling upon his head.

"We should stop there" he soon blinked. "We need to escape before the ceiling comes down!"

Almost panic-stricken, they all started to depart the room in a single file fashion with the Heirs making sure to recover their emblems before leaving. They made their walk down the long and treacherous passage, this time with all the Heirs leading, using the light from their emblems to lead the way.

"Quick, down the stairs!"

The King pointed towards a different passage than the endless ladder-engulfed one that the group previously took. As he got towards the narrow route, he brought his hands out, causing the tunnel to suddenly double in width, allowing everyone to pass through.

Within the pack, the remaining Samaritans stormed ahead, occasionally being able to hold onto one another for support, trying to escape the onslaught of falling rocks that were coming above them.

"Let me see if I can hold onto you slower guys!" Fletch slowed down. "We can't leave you now!"

Looking near him, he saw Praxis and Gourmet Guy struggling to keep up with him. Holding onto the latter's hand, with Guy holding onto that for the Baron, the three of them towed each other towards the exit.

The rubble continued to fall; for Sonic and his spin dash technique along with Spyro's charging through said perils and Jak's gunfire, it felt easy to clear a path for some of the nearby personnel. But it remained that the falling debris would still be just as intense to pass as those that managed to struggle behind.

"Rubble's coming down!" the boy gasped, concerned. "We need to break out!"

"I'll help you out!" Praxis quickly withdrew his blade.

Blaze soon looked behind her, saw the Baron and slowed down. "You can't escape me!"

With a determined glare, Praxis ended up running faster, letting go of his grasp around Guy's hand in the process. As soon as he reached Blaze, the cat ended up jumping on his back, allowing flames to flow through her body in the process.

"Volcano fury!!" they both exclaimed together.

The flames then surrounded Praxis without as much as a hint of damage. And then together, they launched wave of fire after wave of fire, whether it be with the blade of the former or the latter's bare hands.

Many of the rocks were left to crumble into smaller chunks as they started to reach the floor, allowing easier access for some of the personnel behind them. Fletch ended up looking especially grateful.

"Thanks guys!" he beamed back at them. "I much appreciate your help!"

Waving his hands at Praxis and Blaze while holding onto Guy at the same time, he zoomed right past them and continued to make his way down the path. By that time, he ended up catching up with the Samaritans.

"This one's mine!"

With a powerful shockwave, Jak launched a gunshot that crumbled several rocks in a similar fashion to Blaze and Praxis's joint attack. His contributions allowed for further ease of access for those behind him.

Fletch continued to run and run, but all of a sudden he felt a tugging force behind him. He looked behind him, and saw Guy struggling to keep up, to the point that some of the rocks that fell either struck his back or made bold attempts to trap his legs.

"Help!" he screamed with pain. "I'm getting stuck!"

Fletch gasped at the sight of him. "Gourmet Guy!"

Fletch tried to pull Guy, trying to get him away from some of the larger boulders. But all of a sudden, they saw a larger unavoidable one falling on top of him. But before anything could happen, Pikachu jumped off his back and stepped in front of him.

"Piiiikaaaa… CHUUUUUU!"

A wave of thunder surrounded the yellow rodent, being launched straight towards not only that rock in question but many others that were in their immediate area. And upon striking them, damage was inflicted.

They crumbled into nothing more but ashes, raining down on the surrounding personnel like nothing but hailstones. In amazement, Fletch and Guy looked over at Pikachu with a pair of gratitude-filled glances.

"Thanks very much, little guy!" Guy beamed at him. "I KNEW I brought you along for a reason!"

"Fletch!"

The shout caused them to look on ahead. There was the stone arch that they went through to begin with, and the Arwing was still intact to match. The cockpit window was seen wide open, with Fox communicating to the group by means of a megaphone.

"Come inside, quickly!"

Fox's comment ushered the group to keep going, and there, they soon managed to get outside. By that point, Darkwing and the others were all already back inside the ship, with barely any room left for the others.

The Samaritan Heirs managed to get inside safely, but aside from that, being able to squeeze inside the ship made things difficult for some of the Samaritans themselves. From the passenger seating, Sora ended up showing his concerns towards Fox.

"How are we to fit so many people inside the Arwing?" the key bearer asked with concern.

"Let's set the expansion feature on!" smiled Fox.

Pressing a nearby lever among the cockpit controls, Fox ended up initialising a local sequence on the ship. And just like that, the passenger compartment was lengthened to the point that the ship looked more like a flying shuttle bus than a tour vehicle.

Showing expressions of hope, the Samaritans managed to get inside with the King going first, luckily being able to take up the entire back row. The others soon followed, with Fletch coming in last of all.

As soon as he got in, he noticed that the ship was struggling to balance due to the weight applied to the back. Fox managed to soon tackle it by extending the width of the wings, allowing the ship to then float level once again.

"Excellent!" Fletch grinned with awe. "Fox, I don't know how far you customised the Arwing, but we don't care. We need to get out of here!"

Fox replied with a nod, holding tightly onto the control stick. "Let's take off, now!"

And so, the ship managed to move away from the tower and towards the city once again. From the windowpanes, all that Fletch could do was look behind him as he saw the floating tower get further and further into the distance.

* * *

Back with Han and the Queen, the sounds of the falling tower were only just audible, but their concern was namely with the pedestal. By that time, Akumi's capsule was opened with glass shards scattered all over the floor. 

"I don't like the looks of this place", frowned Han as he looked at his surroundings.

"Me neither!" panicked the Queen. "How are we to flee from here?"

All that they could do was look on at each other with concerned glances, but before they could focus on their expressions even more, they then noticed something. Akumi was stirring; moaning, she sat up, rubbing her head with pain.

"Aaargh…" she struggled to express herself. "What is this place?"

"Akumi!"

Han looked on at her, outstretched his hand and took a hold of hers. With a distraught expression upon her, she looked on at him as if she had faced an attack from a robber. There, the boy instantly brought her straight to her feet.

"We need to get you ladies out of here quickly!" he spoke with deep concern before staring at the Queen. "There's no time to place any more Greek corpses on the pedestal!"

"But the Imaginarium-!"

Han increased his focus on her, as he ended up seeing her trying to carry one of the boxes to the pedestal. Sighing, he quickly took a hold of her hand, and all of them managed to make their rush outside the room together.

It wasn't long until they managed to make their way straight towards the outside walls that they went around to begin with. By then, the rumbling was getting louder and louder, prompting them to look up.

The floating tower was seen crumbling from underneath the archway that formed the way to the Samaritans' chamber. The bricks and rubble that fell started to make their way directly towards the wall they were at.

"Look at that falling ruin!" he gasped with horror. "We must keep going if we must get out alive!"

"Han, tell me what's going on!" Akumi cried with fear. "I don't like the looks of this place at all!"

"I'm sorry; it's too long a story to mention right now! I'll mention this to you once we get to safety!"

Just like that, a giant boulder started to fall its way towards the ground. Upon impact, it managed to scrape the right hand side of the wall, causing that part of the wall to reduce itself in size, leaving the three to show concerned glances.

"IF we get to safety?" the Queen pessimistically replied.

Han shook his head, gritting his teeth together. "Think positive and keep going!"

Holding onto each others' hands, they made their way along the now narrowed path and started to make their way along the tall wall. Akumi ended up looking down from her position; she saw it to stand to about 50 feet in the air.

More and more boulders started to fall down, each of them landing behind them, destroying parts of the wall to make it significantly more unusable, allowing the group to show more worried glances as the perils continued.

And then, two more boulders fell from above. Not only did they make the path unusable, but also they made the wall unfit to the point that the path that they were on crumbled apart, causing them all to fall to their doom.

"AAAAAARGGGHHH!" they all screamed together.

They held onto one another, plummeting their way straight towards the ground, knowing that the falling boulders have just about sealed their demise inside the city. They knew that there was no way in heck that they could escape.

And then, Han felt his back touch a hard surface. He knew that whatever he landed on, he was ready to expect death, leaving him to merely close his eyes tightly and get ready to embrace what would follow.

The sound of a flying engine was caught upon his ears, and he still felt every bit alive. With a concerned glance, he opened his eyes and saw himself hovering in the air. He then sat up, and saw himself to be sitting on top of the Arwing, currently in flight.

"Fox!" Han shouted out towards the cockpit.

"We've got you, kid! We'll never make sure you'll perish like that!"

The Arwing managed to steer away to a location far away from the falling rubble. And then, as soon as it was completely level once more, Han managed to stand himself up onto both feet once more.

Akumi and the Queen soon followed, looking around at their immediate surroundings. Together, they all went upon the glass panes that separated them from the interior of the cockpit. With widened eyes, they took a hold of the ceiling pane all together.

All three together managed to get inside the ship safely, all knowing that they were lucky to have survived the fall. While Han and the Queen took seating positions safely, Akumi rushed her way around the back, looking at her surroundings, when all of a sudden her eyes were fixed on one sole figure.

"Fletch!" she cried out to him.

The boy looked up and saw her eyes, causing him to gasp. "Akumi!!"

There, Akumi rushed her way towards Fletch, with him soon making his standing towards her and making his own pacing towards his sister. As soon as they got towards each other, they outstretched their hands and embraced each other.

The very touch of her arms led Fletch to believe that he was back with his relative once again, after so long. A small tear of happiness fell down the side of his face as the result of this happy reunion.

"Akumi, I…" he struggled to string a sentence together. "I missed you so much! What's happened to you?"

"That's what I want to know about you! And… what's that spear in your hand?"

Akumi pointed towards Fletch's spear, still being fixed inside one of his hands tightly. He ended up looking onto it with a light blink, leaving him to then bring it down to his side and show it in full detail in front of her.

And then, he spent a lot of his time, going into detail of the travels of the past six days, from the moment that he, her and Han were separated in the woods all the way through to the present moment.

A broad grin surrounded Akumi as she listened carefully to Fletch's detailed account. And as soon as he was over, he then looked down, still looking overwhelmed and happy to see her once again.

"So that's what's happened!" Akumi blinked at Fletch with understanding. "What would Ariel need with me though? I don't understand."

"I don't know either" sighed Fletch, "but for whatever purpose it is, he has to be revoked from his tyrant rule around the city of Theoropolis, all for the better."

After stating that remark, Fletch gave out a light frown as he looked at the window. By the time, all that remained of the floating tower was a floating stone cylinder that was only roughly an eighth of the size of the tower when they first approached it.

"Fletch, how do you expect to counter him?" Spidey asked the boy. "As long as people other than those he knew by blood believe in him, no one will ever really die, even if you _do_ harm them."

"Etna had a talk with me on the true usage of the Imaginarium Spear set", Fletch blinked with a nod. "I feel more confident to fight to my heart's content, and as she told me, he'll get a punishment that's worse than death."

Smiling, he held onto his spear tightly. It glistened gently in the dark skies above, reflecting amongst his eye with a very radiant glow. His smile remained fixed upon his face, up until the sound of a crackling sequence of laughter was heard in the air.

"You're too late! Have you all made a death wish or something?"

Fletch immediately looked up. "Ariel, is that you?"

"I have enough of the Samaritans' extracted power to make my assault on the outside world, whether they're in my possession or not", his voice continued to echo. "And Akumi's light powers have helped me achieve my dream further, as a catalyst for the whole ordeal!"

Akumi looked down at herself, raising her hands near her shoulders. "Light powers?"

Akumi then looked slightly confused. Her hands showed no trace of her being able to channel any sort of "power" that was stated. At the same time, Fletch opened the glass roof and poked his head outside, looking on towards the floating cylinder.

"Remember the prophecy!" the echoed voice exclaimed before reciting the verse from Spidey's slideshow. "_When the time has come to night, down would come a creation of heart. He'll therefore grow up and bring light and give this town a brand new start. _I was the baby of light, but Akumi is the power source."

"What do you mean?" Fletch cried out in response. "Is there something you're trying to tell us?"

His shouts echoed around the area, giving the projector of the voice time to respond. And then, a glow of eerie purple light surrounded the structure, showing the silhouette of a human figure, followed by that of a bird, and back again.

"Fletch, Han and Akumi! _I am your father!_"

The shout caused Akumi to scream on the spot and Han to suddenly jump up to the chance. To find out the truth that they and Fletch were ALL blood related to one single figure has left them to show shock on the spot.

The figure gave out a deafening cackle, leaving them to show more and more concerned glances to one another. Yet, Fox maintained a stern glare as he held on tightly onto the control stick and guided the Arwing closer towards the floating structure.

No one knew Ariel's intensions for the floating mass, or how he wanted to use Akumi in the first place, or how he could somehow be the father for all three children. But they knew that a sequence of questions were about to be answered as soon as they would reach the top of the floating structure.

And as far as Fletch was concerned, the questions that would be triggered could very well be the last that he would ever ask.

_-end of chapter-_


	18. The Final Curtain

AUTHOR'S NOTES

The story is almost complete, and we're now coming towards the final segments of the game. Here, Fletch has finally been able to meet up with Emperor Ariel, ready to see him in the flesh at last.

From the last chapter, we learnt that Ariel was the father for Fletch, Han and Akumi all together. I do understand that it's a bit of a cliche (though I do find cliches good fun to incorporate every now and again, lol), but when it comes to layering out some of the story foundations it had to be built upon a single core element like Ariel's role. And so it's only fair to see how far it had been taken since the tale's interception.

Still, whatever results from the meeting is anyone's guess. Again I'm not spoiling anything so you'll have to see what will happen yourself. Thanks again and I'll see you next week with the conclusion.

Peace out,

-Rexy-

_

* * *

__So much time managed to pass around the clearing. By then, Han started to make headway in actually clearing up all the mess that the goose left behind. His input and dedication seemed to be very worthwhile in front of my eyes._

_I just hoped that Akumi would feel the same, but in spite of the picnic lunch being packed away so much neater she still continued to show a deep look of anguish. I can tell by her expression that this day isn't really going as well as planned for her._

_Maybe she could be a perfectionist. Or maybe she could just want to see things going her own way or whatever. Whichever happens, there was absolutely no way that I would leave her to cry like that._

"_Akumi, what's the matter?" I asked her with a blink._

_I tried to stroke her on the back of her head, trying to get her attention towards me. Eventually she did,, pointing her face up towards my face. Her blue eyes were melting like water, easily showing her feelings at that moment in time._

"_That… that goose…" she tried to pull herself together. "What was it trying to do?"_

"_I don't know", I shook my head, "but it didn't seem very friendly to us."_

_I looked around the clearing. Sure, it may have seemed to be so peaceful these days, but there was absolutely no way that I would even consider to sit there in case anything else happens. Gritting my teeth together, I stood up._

"_I don't want it to come back and raid our food once more. We can't let that happen. We need to go to a different clearing, but we still need to make sure that we're present enough for your father to come here."_

_I took Akumi's hand and we both left the clearing together. We walked down the forest pathway for five minutes, before finding a similar clearing. This one seemed to have a much better view of the skies above us, even giving us view of any birds that would fly by._

"_Hey, how about we try that spot over there?" Han gestured at this new clearing. "It looks clean and it's also close to the edge of the forest. It also sounds very peaceful and quiet in there."_

"_Okay Han", I nodded back to him. "We'll move the stuff in there."_

_And so, the picnic was layered out once again. Akumi's spirits may have been watered down in comparison to the first clearing we faced, but I was still happy to know that we managed to find a more secure location in comparison to the last._

_There were taller rocks that would prevent any wildlife arrivals from the ground; there were still some squirrels being able to jump from tree to tree, notably to a giant weeping willow in the middle of the area, but other than that nothing seemed to distracting. In spite of that, Akumi still looked distraught when I turned to her._

"_Now what?" I hastily sighed at her._

"_After seeing that goose encounter…" she soon paused. "You're right about their attitudes."_

_She once again looked on at me with the saddest facial expression that I could end up seeing in the past few months. Maintaining it, she walked in the middle of the clearing and looked on at the giant willow tree._

"_I should have thought that geese are among the worst offending animals in this territory, especially after what they did to your eye. It sounds terrible."_

_She then looked on at me. It was true that I never was fond of geese, especially after what they ended up doing to me several months ago. But I never would have thought that an assault like today could dwindle her spirit just like that._

"_To that extent, I don't even think I'll be capable of dealing with a goose farm. I feel uncertain about wanting to handle those creatures, in case they would want to attack me for no reason."_

"_Look, there's no way on feeling bad about certain animals Akumi", I spoke to her with the most reassuring tone I could produce at the time. "It might have been a one-off occasion."_

"_I've made my mind up", she rashly spoke, raising her voice. "I can't pursue a potential future in the event that it will attack me with that kind of energy. I don't want to be crippled as a result."_

_I knew that Akumi's way of self defence was pretty poor but I wasn't expecting her to flinch out at a time like that. Regardless, she turned away from the willow and walked towards the side of the clearing, her facial expression still looking grim._

"_Leave me alone, boys. I will rather find things out for myself."_

_I would have liked to speak with her more, but regardless of what happens, I might as well have to accept her wish to be alone. Sighing, I looked on at Han, whom looked on at me with a light eye twitch._

"_How long do you think it will take for her to come back here and eat?" he asked me._

"_She will, eventually", I shrugged. "All she had to eat this morning were two slices of dry toast."_

_I then walked towards him, and we both sat on a nearby log together, looking on at her. But as the minutes went on, we knew that we could be wasting time by just leaving her alone like that. The picnic had to go on._

_And so, the food was layered out, ready for us to enjoy every last scrap of it. Eventually, she would come back and make her way towards it, looking as if she hadn't eaten for what seemed like days upon end._

_But regardless, her experience of the food still felt bitter. In spite of that, Han and I did everything to try and lift her spirits, like the pleasure of any remaining sweet dishes we had left, or the pleasure of letting her see her father._

_And to think, if he can only just find us in this woodland, we should be able to have a whale of a time._

* * *

Day 7

_The Floating Imaginarium Tower – 7:15PM_

The clouds above the city started to get darker and darker. Treacherous rains were sent crashing their way towards the ground, covering the streets with nothing but a damp surface, signalling a coming dark change to the surroundings.

At the same time, the Tour Arwing made its way towards the Wishing Point, the last remaining useable component of the ruins of the floating tower. The window compartment was open, allowing Fletch, Han and Akumi to leave and get onto the stone surface together.

Ahead of them was a wide open space with several crystals littering the area. And standing in the middle of them was a man with a black cloak, multicoloured clothing to rival Joseph's Technicolor dreamcoat, a blue hat and brown eyes with matching hair and goatee, surrounded by a mysterious indigo energy field. Upon the sight of him, Fletch withdrew the photo that Fox gave him several days earlier; the identification has shown that that was the human form for Emperor Ariel.

"So, you decided to join me", he said in his sinister deep voice. "Welcome to your fate, kid."

"Tell me, exactly how can you be my father?" Fletch hesitantly asked him. "And Han's?"

Holding tightly onto his spear, he showed a feeling of growing rage as he looked on at Ariel. And there, he stepped forward, bringing his long fingers towards Akumi as he gazed into her deep blue eyes.

"Akumi was the first child I had with my old partner", he snarled while gesturing at her. "Then when we found out that she was having mental problems, we left her with a local that lived alone. I must have had an affair with her before coming home and trying for another child with my wife."

The very mention ended up causing Fletch to gasp, knowing that his own mother was the figure that received her in the first place. In despair, he crouched down and used his free arm to completely cover his face in disgust.

"God, this sounds sick", he moaned with unease.

"Tell me about it", Han shook his head. "What's going on?"

Maintaining a serious grip onto his rapier sword, Han continued to focus upon Ariel as he stepped forward again, ready to continue his explanation. By then, the crystals were glowing brighter and brighter, now giving off a light shade of mauve behind them.

"Then, two months before my next child was born", he continued, "I was given the opportunity to return to my roots. I did a lot of painting in my time, and there the winds signalled pulses coming from the woodlands near Fort Pearl. I decided to settle here, finding a home in which I can go through myself. Who needed family when I could have many comrades to call my own?"

"What the heck?" Han shouted, looking frightened. "You neglected your child!"

Gritting his teeth tightly, he pointed his sword straight towards him. But before he could react, his eyes soon widened. That soon caused him to allow his arms to hang low, looking on at Ariel as he did so.

"Two months before the kid was born… you couldn't be! I'm… I'm Akumi's sister??"

With horror, Akumi gasped from the sidelines, covering her face with fear. And so it was confirmed – Han and Akumi were direct brother and sister, unknowing of one another's link up until now. By that mention, Fletch's rage on his face was doubled.

"So, he was just as reckless in the outside world as he is in this one. What the heck are you playing at?"

"I really wish I would know the same", snarled Ariel. "One word – women."

Upon the remark, Fletch instantly swung his spear straight towards the floor, ready to scream with the angriest facial expression that could even be showcased upon him. The sight of it left Ariel to snicker on the spot.

"But it's too late for anyone to try and stop me. The Samaritan's power has been contained enough for me to be able to spread my energies to the outside world. Once that is done, I will be the only guy on the peoples' minds, and there will be many shrines built in my honor! The Senate and many personnel of Theoropolis have gone on about their own liege of fans, so it's fair that I will gather my own!"

"That's not getting fans; that's getting a CULT!" Akumi exclaimed with a rare sign of anger. "We can't let that happen! I won't bear to think of what would happen to everyone I loved!"

In distress, Akumi looked on towards her comrades, her expression starting to show signs of panic upon her. She looked towards Han, and then at Fletch, her limbs starting to shake over time.

"We need to do something before he sets the power loose!" she shouted with fear. "But how?"

Fletch soon turned to the Arwing. "Fox, keep the Samaritan Heirs in. Everyone else, come out!"

And there, the doors among the passenger compartment for the Arwing were opened. Sora and the other personnel that travelled with Fletch on his journey were the first to depart, with the Samaritans coming in single file not too long after, with Pikachu trying to hide behind the King of All Cosmos.

Guy's eyes widened as he saw the yellow rodent going astray. "Pikachu, get back here!"

Reaching out for him, Guy managed to take a hold of Pikachu around the waist, leaving said rodent to wince as he was dragged back inside the Arwing. By that time, the others had divided their focuses between Ariel, the crystals, and the boy, with Sonic showing the most concern.

"But what are we supposed to do?" he asked the others. "We don't even have our emblems!"

"You do now", smiled Han.

Han looked towards Fletch, whom responded with placing his backpack on the floor. There, he instantly withdrew the four emblems that he obtained from Cortex and Etna earlier on in the day. Darkwing then followed by taking out the three obtained throughout the rest of the journey. The sight of them left the Samaritans to re-claim them and look on in surprise.

Not long after that happened, a bright impulse of lime green energy surrounded the group. It engulfed Ariel's shield, and all of a sudden it evaporated into nothing; along with that, the Samaritans' bodies started to glow as if their spirits were being charged.

"How did you find them all?" Rayman questioned the boy. "I know I left mine at Ly's Tower."

"Spyro gave us his to explore the city", Sora began explaining. "And as we went on, we picked up more of these until we had them all by the end of Ripto's campaign to become Emperor."

"Sora has it nail on the head", confirmed Spyro. "Working with Fox and Blaze has given me a wider approach to seeing the city beyond being a simple protector. When I first heard that Crash went missing I knew something was wrong, but I wouldn't state it in case it would blow my cover."

With a solemn look, Spyro looked down, knowing that instead of hiding his feelings there could have been another way to prevent Ariel from reaching where he stood at the present time. Han stood there, looking back and forth between both the dragon and the emperor, gradually showing a snarl showing upon his milky white teeth.

"Still, we should look at what has happened now", Han bitterly spoke back. "People believed or were forced to believe in Ariel to the point that he would be a complete traitor to the city. And now, we need to make sure that he doesn't see the light of day again."

"Are you with us?" Fletch questioned the personnel around him.

Fletch looked on at the Samaritans and his accomplices one by one, and as he looked at them all in a clockwise fashion, they all gave off determined nods, ready to put a stop to Ariel's consumption of power. And with that in mind, he turned to the Emperor with a determined smile.

"Let's go!"

And with that remark, Fletch pointed his spear forward, allowing him, his travelling party and the Samaritans to all charge forward at the same time, forming what looked like an entire mob storming their way towards the Emperor.

He however showed a vicious snarl as he brought out one of his hands. And forming around an eerie lilac light source, there formed a spear that looked almost identical to Fletch's, but the markings on the handle showed crests of crows and hellhounds around it.

The sight of him, pointing his weapon towards the rest of the mob, left Fletch to show a slight amount of surprise on his facial expression. Holding onto his spear tightly, he stormed ahead of the running mob.

"I'll take care of Ariel. Everyone else, just try and extinguish all these crystals!"

And so, he ran faster and faster towards the Emperor. As soon as he got there, he stood toe to toe with him, pointing his spear straight towards him and giving off a confident smile right at the same time.

But before he could even layer any form of attack, Ariel instantly tried to strike him with his own spear, leaving the boy to roll out of the way just in time. Snarling, Fletch was left to leer on at the foreboding Emperor.

"Get ready, padre!"

Ariel snickered with a tone filled with goose bumps. "You've just sealed your fate, kid!"

And so, they both leapt into the air and engaged in combat. A duel began, with both personnel trying so hard to try and inflict whatever damage is possible with their own respective spears. In the opening few seconds it was hard to determine which of the two would have the upper hand.

By the crystals, the remaining personnel managed to approach them with ease, branching off into groups of no more than three at a time. Some of them tackled them in groups, while certain others decided to go alone.

Rayman was one of which, approaching one of the crystal structures with launching his bare hands towards it. But not even that was enough to cause a dent into it. He then resorted with trying to break it open with a rubber plunger, but that didn't work either.

"I need help with this crystal!" He started to shout for help. "It seems like it's almost padlocked!"

"Coming through!"

He looked towards his left, and there, he saw Sonic rolled up into a ball, speeding towards the crystal. And there, he mowed it over with the force of his spikes touching it, shattering it into nothing but a thousand pieces.

"Thanks, Sonic!" smiled Rayman. "I thought it would never bust open!"

Sonic soon came to a stop and stood upright again, giving off a victory sign on his hand towards Rayman, whom saluted back. There, they both looked around for another free crystal and went towards one together.

Near another crystal, Jak was also seen going alone, showing enough confidence to shoot down every crystal that he was able to locate in his immediate radius. After shooting down four, he then found focus towards a fifth to the North.

"This one's mine again!"

He aimed his gun at it, but before anything else could happen… Crash suddenly ran straight in front of him, waving his hands in front of him, trying to greet Jak with whatever kind of babble he could produce from his mouth.

"Crash, get out of the way!" he frowned back at him. "You're in my shooting range!"

Among the remark, Crash instantly shook his head and pointed straight towards the crystal. The amount of bodily language he tried to pull off showed the potential of a double team upon the crystal itself.

Jak's eyes widened. "Oh, I see what you mean. You want us to go together?"

Happily, Crash gave off a hefty nod, withdrawing a weapon of his own at the same time – a bazooka weapon. Shooting it into the sky showed that the projectiles were nothing but stale pieces of wumpa fruit.

As they both approached the scene together, shooting their weapons directly at the crystal, Han and Akumi were seen surrounding a local crystal. She looked towards the surface, and she ended up seeing a pair of eyes showing deep inside it.

"This crystal's got goonies in it!" she squealed lightly. "I'm not letting this happen to me!"

"Akumi!"

Growling with rage, Han pushed her out of the way and tried to chop apart the crystal with his rapier sword. The process was slow, but he knew that at least it would stop Akumi from flinching out further.

It wasn't until Ratchet, Joanna and Spyro destroyed another nearby crystal and jumped at the chance to help them out when they noticed that the crystal near Han and Akumi could contain more than what they were bargained for. Nearby, King and Mario managed to finish off another local crystal by means of whatever physical force they could produce.

"King! Mario!" Spyro grabbed their attention. "Now that you're done, please come here and…"

All of a sudden, the crystal that Han stood in front of started to shatter open, with a black smoke starting to come through it. The intensity of the gases left everyone nearby to take several steps back, looking on it with more cautious facial expressions.

"Uh-oh", Spyro blinked with a more hesitant glare.

The smoke then started to form a shadow monster shape upon it, looking on at the personnel down below with menacing, glowing yellow eyes. The sight of it left Joanna to smirk and take a hold of her pistols, aiming them straight towards the monster.

"Let me shoot you down!"

She was just about to pull the trigger, but before anything could even be done, there soon came Mario on the scene, pushing a Katamari towards the crystal. It shattered into pieces on the contact, causing the shadow to vanish.

The crystal pieces then allowed the Katamari to shine with a radiant pink color. Mario then returned it to the King, who picked it up and threw it into the sky, allowing it to form a bright shining star above them.

"No point in arguing now, Joanna", Ratchet quickly looked at his disbelieved partner, shaking his head. "You'll be toast if you do!"

The remark caused the group to look on at one another, Joanna especially, whom was seen gritting her teeth thanks to her not being able to finish off the shadow. In hesitance, they all split up and started tackling some of the remaining crystals.

Back with Fletch and Ariel, the intensity of their combat started to grow more and more as more of the crystals were destroyed. Eventually, Ariel was able to cause damage by striking his spear straight towards Fletch's stomach.

Ariel cackled with delight as he saw the boy in his vulnerable position. "Say your prayers, kid!"

The contact caused the boy to end up falling upon his back, showing a painful expression as he made his fall. That gave the Emperor room to try and finish him off, raising his own spear into the air and aiming directly for his heart.

"Fletch!"

From nearby, Ariel felt a sharp blow to his back, causing him to start staggering and fall upon his back. Fletch looked up, and there, his face instantly lit up when he saw Sora making his way in to help out.

"You can't kill him!" the key bearer growled towards him.

Holding his keyblade firmly into the air, he then started to counter the Emperor. It wasn't long until the latter was able to start fighting once again, leaving them both in another intense means of combat.

At the same time, the remaining crystals were slowly getting depleted. A further few more ended up containing shadow monsters inside them, but like those that surrounded the one that Han and Akumi first approached, they vanished as soon as the structure was destroyed.

It wasn't long until one crystal remained, and that surrounded Jade, Spidey and Darkwing. The former held onto it tightly with web streams, leaving the others to quickly chop it down. And just like that, it decayed almost too easily.

"The crystals are down!" Spidey exclaimed with success. "We can make a full assault on him!"

Darkwing instantly jumped into the air, clicking his feet. "This sounds like my forte!"

Smiling, he looked on at Fletch, Ariel and Sora in the middle of the area. Bringing himself into a crouching position similar to that of an Olympic athlete, he gave off a confident smile as his focus increased.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the goose that will bite your own eyes off! I am DARKWING DUCK!!!"

He quickly stormed straight towards the three of them, running faster and faster as he came closer towards them. It wasn't long until he finally was able to make a collision course with the Emperor.

He lowered his head, and rammed it straight across Ariel's stomach, causing him to flinch. That left the pair of them to be sent straight towards the edge of the arena, increasing in speed as they got closer and closer.

Ariel was sent off the side instantly, with Darkwing trying his best to slow down as he got there. But not even his most valiant efforts were enough as he too ended up losing his footing, falling off the edge and plummeting straight down towards the surface below.

"AAAAARGH!!!" he screamed as he plummeted through the clouds.

Fletch instantly gasped at the sight of him falling. "Darkwing!!"

Panicking, Fletch ran his way straight towards the surface. Once there, he made a stop on the edge, looking straight down beneath him. The view of the city and its surrounding area graced his eyes.

His focus remained there as he tried to focus upon the skies beneath. He tried to look down the walls of the floating tower as well, but not even that was enough to try and locate Darkwing in some shape or form.

Holding onto the surface, he still tried to look from place to place, hoping that he was around. Then, as his hesitance grew and grew, a sequence of tears started to fall from his one remaining eye.

"Darkwing, please tell me you'll come back! We've trusted you for so long! Don't fade from us, please…"

With a grim look, he eventually gave up and lowered his head, accepting the fact that Darkwing Duck, one of the first personnel that he came across in his time in the city, had fallen and vanished forever.

Even some of the surrounding personnel came to accept what had happened, coming towards Fletch with similarly sympathetic looks around them. Spidey looked just as grim, placing one of his hands upon the boy's back as he did so.

"There's no point in trying to ask. In a situation like this, he might not come back. It's a sacrifice that he made to help bring Ariel down."

The touch of his hand upon Fletch's back left the boy to turn towards him, his facial expression now looking as if it had been drained of all hope and wonder. Maintaining it, he stood up and brought himself to the point that his toes would almost touch Spidey's.

"Though this is bittersweet, our work is complete", sympathised Spidey. "We can all go home."

At that remark, the clouds that floated above the ruins started to evaporate. A crescent moon was revealed behind one of which, shining in a very subtle glow towards the city that rested underneath it.

Feeling the pleasant glow underneath them, they all made their walk straight towards the Arwing. The window compartment was open, allowing the personnel to get inside one by one. As Jade took a hold of the window, she looked around at her immediate surroundings, giving off a light sigh as she looked ahead.

"I can't believe it would all seize like this", she frowned. "And at the most painful moment too. I just wished Darkwing never had departed like that."

"Me too", agreed Mario. "He'sa one of the bravest guys I'va come to see in my time in my Green Goomba apartment."

Sighing, Mario ended up following her, sitting down comfortably near her as soon as they got inside. They locked their hands onto one another, showing an equal amount of support for one another.

"But we have to look on the bright side", the King blinked as he approached the passenger window. "As soon as we get home, we will do something in his honour, and we know that he deserved it through and through. We need to get down to the surface."

"I'm on it", nodded Fox.

Upon that remark, Fox took as firm a grip as he could upon the control stick of the Arwing. He looked outside, and saw the remainder of the personnel that accompanied Fletch making their way inside.

He, Han and Akumi were saved until last, making a steady approach towards the window. The boy managed to take a hold onto it, but before he could do anything else, the sound of a rumble was heard from behind him.

"Fletch! Watch out!" Fox quickly commanded him.

The boy suddenly stopped in his tracks. "What?"

And there, the rumbles started to grow and grow in intensity, leaving them to look behind them and see a shadow starting to show itself from underneath the floating tower. The human-like structure of it left the boy to gasp on at it with growing fear.

"You'll never cream me that easily!"

"A…" Fletch tried to focus on the creature. "Ariel?"

Fletch squinted his eyes as hard as he could. And there, he managed to make out the shape of a sinister looking human figure amidst the mass of smoke that was floating in the air. A cackle filled the air to match with it.

Holding onto his spear tightly, Fletch continued to show his focus, looking more and more serious as time managed to pass on. Fox also managed to take interest, looking on at the floating shadow with a keen eye.

"How can he still go like this?" he gasped with amazement. "It sounds impossible!"

Han started to shake as he turned towards the ship. "Fox, get your Arwing in a stable enough place to land the rest of the personnel to help us out!"

To Han's command, Fox managed to steer the Arwing towards the edge of the platform once again and tried to settle it to the point that the personnel inside it would be able to come out and inflict any means of attack.

However, Ariel was already one step ahead of the game. A large indigo thunderbolt shot itself in the air, striking down upon the Arwing with a mighty crash. Once the light was cleared, it was seen that one of the wings had a giant hole in it, with smoke and chopped wires floating from the interior.

"The left wing is damaged!" Fox started to panic. "I'm sorry, but I have to transport everyone back to the surface. If we don't we will ALL perish, and we don't want that!"

"Fox, hang in there!" Akumi cried out towards him with her arm outstretched.

With that, Fox guided the Arwing straight towards the surface, going through all the dense clouds that separated the platform from the ground. Several seconds later, the ship ended up vanishing from their sight.

And now, Fletch, Han and Akumi were all seen standing alone, looking on at the monstrous shadow looming his way over them. By then, he ended up standing on the platform, towering himself to be about 30 times taller than the three youths individually.

"You're hopeless, you little punks!" Ariel screeched with fright.

"Huh?" Fletch blinked at him.

"Now that your friends are down, it's time that you face the true extent of my power. The world will never survive as long as there will be people who will believe in me in the outside world!"

Ariel then gave out a sinister cackle, and as he did so, his shape started to change back into the gas-like cloud that he was upon coming up towards there to begin with. The energy used to transform him left Fletch to squint his eyes and try to witness whatever transformation would come across.

The gas started to transform itself once again. This time, it got to the point that a shape became more identifiable – a rodent like shape, complete with an eerie set of mauve light shining behind him, just like with the crystals.

"The light energy…" Han began to flinch. "It's so bright!"

Akumi, however, didn't wince once and looked on at him. "Why does he look like a chipmunk?"

Akumi was left to look on at confusion – a heavy contrast to the fearful glances from both Fletch and Han. The appearance of the large teeth and striped tail was easily shown upon the giant chipmunk formation in front of them.

And right there, in formation alone, Fletch was left in moderate thought. Finally a thought managed to creep upon his mind, reflecting back to the picnic prior to entering the city. A thought was finally confirmed within his mind.

Emperor Ariel, in the form of a chipmunk, lured the group to begin with.

"Tell me", Akumi screamed towards the boys. "How can he transform like that?"

"It must be a personality trait", Fletch stated his opinion, "but we can't discuss this for too long! We need to save ourselves NOW!"

Holding onto his spear tightly, Fletch instantly made a powerful dash towards the eerie, towering rodent monstrosity, with Han looking utterly defenceless to try and help his rashly dashing comrade.

It wasn't long until Fletch finally managed to reach the towering creature's leg, pointing his spear directly towards it. But before he could even inflict any means of damage, the creature ended up kicking him straight towards the floor.

"Ouch!"

"Fletch, stay still!" Han shouted from his right.

Fletch ended up taking his advice and using his spear to shield himself from any attacks that the large creature could pull off. He stood up and remained in place, but at the same time, the monster towered over him and preceded to stomp the boy.

"His foot's coming!" Fletch shivered with cowardice. "How can I stay still at a time like this?"

"Let me jump in there!"

And at that remark, Han jumped between Fletch and the falling foot, pointing his rapier sword directly at the monster as he made his approach. In spite of that, the foot continued to fall and fall towards the ground.

"How do you like a veruca, sunshine?" Han taunted the monster.

As soon as it reached Han's level, he jumped into the air and scratched the foot, leaving nothing but a scar and a small trail of gas starting to escape from it. The creature winced in pain, taking several steps back towards the edge of the platform.

Fletch and Han ended up coming together, holding tightly onto their weapons as they did so. And together, they struck as hard as they could on the injured foot, causing Ariel to fall to his doom.

"He's starting to tumble!" broadly smiled Han, jumping with wonder.

They both looked over the surface, expecting to see a falling giant chipmunk coming towards the city. But… they ended up seeing nothing. Exchanging confused glances towards one another, they looked in all sorts of directions, trying to trace the fallen monster.

"Han, look out!" shouted Akumi from behind.

"What?"

There, he and Fletch both looked behind them, and right there they saw the chipmunk hovering directly above the platform that they were on. It then followed on by allowing a surge of lavender light to surround it.

A series of thunderbolts crashed down towards the platform, leaving Fletch and Han to deflect the energy with their own respective weapons. Akumi, however, ended up using her arms to block her, and to a miracle, she ended up surviving.

"He seems like he's invincible to us!" Han blinked with worry. "How can we deal with this?"

"I don't know!" Akumi cried loudly. "Why did you tie me into these things?"

There, she ended up wincing on the spot, showing more and more anguish at the sight of the perils that were surrounding her. But… one look down to her hand changed her expression to panic, as she saw them both changing into a ghastly white color.

"Eap", she paused, shaking on the spot. "What is this?"

"Akumi!!" Fletch tried to reach out towards her.

All of a sudden, she started to panic at the sight of her hands, taking several steps back and waving them in an attempt to re-generate the color. But all that caused was a series of white magical balls to hover into the sky.

Ariel tried to dodge the mass of them all, yet in spite of his best efforts, two of which ended up striking his head, fizzing away the "fur" around the left ear and the right thumb. Upon contact, he ended up wincing with shock.

"What did you just do?" Fletch gasped at her.

"I…" she continued to cower. "I can't tell what's going on!"

"But he said you were a maiden of light, the light he bore in the prophecy!" he soon recapped.

At the mention of that, Akumi started to grow more and more frustrated. She then looked down at her hands once again, seeing them still drained of all form of color around her. Panic continued to surround her face, knowing that something else could erupt from them any minute.

"I say control your power!" he tried to support her. "We need you to make sure we…"

"I can't help it!" she screamed while Fletch was in mid-sentence.

Screaming, she once again took several steps back and waved her arms in the air as if she was about to become a stoned lunatic. Yet, that ended up launching more and more white glowing orbs in the air.

Ariel tried to dodge them again, but this time some of them were unfortunate enough to trail back in his direction. The strike of many upon his back at once caused him to start weakening and lose his footing right at the edge of the platform, before falling once again.

"AAAAARGH!!!" Ariel brawled as he fell.

Fletch leapt into the air, once again showing surprise. "He's down again!"

The sight of him collapsing left Fletch to rush towards the edge of the platform and look down, hoping to trace any sign of the monster. Once again there was no sign of him, but this time he looked more certain than when Han pushed him off.

"Is that the last we'll see of him?" Han questioned his accomplices.

"I hope so", shivered Akumi. "I don't want the same thing to happen all over again."

Shaking her head with a facial expression mixing both relief and fear, she ended up taking a hold upon Fletch's chest, hoping never to face a situation like that again. And according to the boy's expression, he could end up feeling the same if he wanted to.

Suddenly, the ground started to rumble again. This time, Akumi held onto Fletch slightly tighter than before, leaving him and Han to look around them and look for the source of the unsettling quake.

"You've got the idea with the light focusing chi. But you need to do better than that!"

All of a sudden, there came Ariel, donning the black smoke form once again. At the sight of it, Fletch and Han pointed their weapons directly at what was ahead of them – the same human-like shape that occupied his chipmunk transformation.

But instead of the standard shape shifting into any regular mammal, it changed again, this time to a bird creature. And as a result there came to be a familiar shape – the mutant goose form that combated Fletch back at the John Moors district.

"Oh my God!" Akumi squealed again. "He looks like a mutant goose now??"

"I think we need to figure out more on how to deal with him!" Fletch bitterly sighed.

Looking up at him with a wide-eyed glare, all that Fletch would do was just stare into the goose form's menacing eyes as he tried to find a way to damage him. He could have focused a little bit clearer if Akumi wasn't holding onto him too tightly.

"He's frightening me!" she whimpered, squeezing Han's hand. "What are we supposed to do?"

"AKUMI!!!" Han shouted with pain.

Not long after that, Akumi ended up reacting by placing her hands upon both Fletch's and Han's weapons, and just like with the falling lightning, she didn't feel any pain, especially when placing a hand upon Han's rapier. Concerned for her safety, he quickly pulled her away from his weapon.

"Next time, don't try to grasp our weapons like that! You could cut yourself!"

"But they're glowing!" Fletch observed their arsenal. "This might help us!"

Fletch pointed towards his spear and Han's rapier. And true to his word, they were seen glowing with a mystifying white light around them. A hand mark around them both showed that Akumi was responsible for the powering of them both.

Han briefly looked at the monster. "I think we need to test it right now, before we get toasted!"

And there, both Fletch and Han went straight towards the goose, walking carefully towards the creature. He tried to send his beak down to them both, but they quickly dodged before they could get trampled.

"Han, lift me up to his mouth!" Fletch commanded with a brash tone. "I've got a plan!"

Reluctantly nodding, Han ended up taking a hold of Fletch by the chest, and started twirling him around as if he was a shot put. Then he finally released his grip, causing him to be sent flying towards Ariel's tail feathers.

He then made a comfortable landing upon them, bouncing from there towards the back of the creature. Holding on with all his might, using his spear to support him, he then looked from his position and saw him to be halfway up his back in an instant.

"I never thought I'd catch him there!" he exclaimed with surprise.

"Quick", ushered Han from below. "Get up there!"

Holding onto Ariel's feathers tightly, he continued to climb. Yet, the mutant was seen responding with trying to use his wings to try and flick Fletch away from him, while using his feet at the same time to try and eliminate Han and Akumi from the surface, the latter responding back by shooting more white energy balls towards the monster.

"Akumi, calm down!" Fletch shouted as he held onto Ariel tightly. "I'm right behind him!"

"But he could just squash you any minute!" she frowned back.

Han quickly turned his focus towards her. "Hey, let me hold your hand for one second!"

Han responded by holding onto Akumi's hand and pointing his rapier sword directly above him. Right there, it was aimed towards the floating goose, with Han responding with a snarl showing upon his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Akumi confusedly questioned him.

"I need to focus my aim on him a little more!"

And there, he pointed the spear straight towards the eyes of the goose. His hand locking with Akumi suddenly allowed the raiper to be charging with a brighter intensity of light than what has been shown from her own hands.

And there, a thin white laser was sent into the air, instantly being triggered towards the creature's eyes, causing it to flinch right at the touch of it. The sound of its pain was all that Fletch needed to keep climbing at a brisker pace than the usual.

"How do you like that?" Han smirked tenaciously. "I never thought I'd shoot in this fashion!"

Fletch's pacing soon brought him as far as the creature's shoulder bones, leaving him to smile broader and broader as he got higher and higher up. But it was by then that Ariel started to shake like a wet dog on the spot, causing the boy to hold on tighter than the usual, in some instances resorting to hanging on various feathers with just one hand and losing his footing in the process.

"He's trying to shake me off!" Fletch showed panic. "I need help!"

Han looked up with a curious blink. "Fletch, just keep going!"

Fletch swung himself back towards the back, placing his legs firmly upon Ariel once more and proceeding to climb. Holding tightly onto the feathers, he felt a great determination stat to surge upon him.

Meanwhile, Han continued to launch the laser well enough, but it wasn't long until the creature's beak started to glow with an intense indigo aura around it. And from its beak there came a penetrating mauve light, engulfing Han in an instant in the form of a thick beam.

"HAN!!!" Fletch squealed to him from above.

Akumi quickly towed him out of the way of the beam, but by then it was already too late – the light energy had already gone through his body, to the point that he ended up passing out directly into her arms.

"He…" she showed instant fear. "He doesn't seem so good! I don't understand!"

"Don't worry about him! I'm almost there!"

Gritting his teeth tightly, Fletch continued to climb. This time he managed to pull himself right on top of the creature's shoulders, being lucky enough to make a decent enough footing, using his spear to act as a third "leg" in the process.

"Fletch!" Akumi cried to him from below. "Hang on!"

He then positioned himself to the point that he was able to get a clear view of Ariel. Not even his best shaking would even shake him away from him, as long as he held onto the spear firmly with both arms.

Not long after that, Fletch's grasp started to slacken as Ariel started to stand still, now knowing that the boy was firmly on his shoulders. With widened eyes, his focus was left upon the growing determination set by the boy.

"I can't believe you would do such a thing like overtaking an entire city!" Fletch sighed with rage. "And now, you're going to get it!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

Gritting his teeth together, Ariel took a step forward, causing Fletch to hold onto the spear again as he walked. And there, he raised a foot, raised high above Akumi, ready to send her and Han directly to their demises.

Fletch raised his head in the air, looking hopeful. "Etna, your wisdom will be put into good use."

He quickly pulled out the spear from his shoulder and made his rush towards Ariel once again, running around the immediate perimeter of the neck area. It didn't take long until he finally found a stable position round the back of his neck.

By then, the foot was coming down faster and faster. Akumi raised her hands in the air to try and defend herself, both of them glowing an intense white color at the time. And just as when the claws were about to touch her body…

"AAAAARGGHH!"

She opened her eyes widely, and there, she saw Ariel starting to show heavy signs of weakness. It then turned around, and it was shown that Fletch has ended up directly stabbing the creature in the neck, to the point that the spear almost completely sank inside it.

As a result, the sight of the damage left Ariel to do nothing but to cripple and fall towards the floor, leaving Fletch to hold onto the spears as he did so. With that, reality was soon hit around them as they saw what had happened.

Emperor Ariel, a great threat to the outside world and the father of all three youths, had been slaughtered to death.

"Fletch?" she questioned him as he saw his surroundings look eerie.

"He's dissolving!" he blinked, placing his hand through Ariel like a ghost. "What's going on?"

True to Fletch's word, he saw that Ariel's body was starting to mutate into a black gas. His place, sitting on his body nearly ten feet in the air, left him to start holding onto as many of his feathers as possible to maintain his position.

Then, the place of his body that he sat on started to vanish into nothing but faint grains of rubble. That left him to try and stand, but it was then that gravity started to get the better of him, leaving him to slip further.

"I can't feel my legs anymore!" he spoke with a nose twitch.

All that Akumi could do was scream. "Fletch!!!"

The decaying body left the boy unable to stand anymore. He ended up making a fall towards the ground, with his spear being released at the same time. But unable to reach for that, all he could do was look at the ground as he went further to the platform's surface.

He closed his eyes, expecting to hit on the surface hardly, but all he felt in the end was a soft landing. He quickly opened his eyes again, and right there, he saw that he had landed safely within Akumi's arms.

She then released her grip around him, placing him firmly on the ground, standing on both feet. She looked on at him with a gentle glow of the eyes, leaving them to look on at their surroundings, now looking absolutely barren aside from the winds blowing and the glistening of Fletch's spear on the floor.

The weapon itself remained still, glowing with a moonlit shade to coincide with the skies. The distant sound of a goose cry could only mean one thing alone – _Ariel's essence was sealed inside._

"So that's what Spidey meant", Fletch reminisced on his time in the Green Goomba district. "People in this city are destined to 'disappear', just like that. But what if mom still thinks much about him?"

He then walked towards the spear, his shadow starting to trail gently in the evening light. By then, the skies became more and more navy blue, removing all shades of red and purple from the skies above.

"Akumi, are you alright?" he questioned her.

"I think I am", she shyly replied. "But I think this is one of those reasons why I shouldn't really trust strangers, even if they are related to me."

"It's okay. Now that all's done with, we need to find a way to get back down, especially with Han with us."

Upon that mention, he then brought his attention straight towards Han, still unconscious on the floor. There, Fletch walked up towards him; as soon as he reached him, he crouched down and took a hold of his curled up hand, looking concerned in the process.

"Whatif he's critically injured?"

"I don't know if he is", Akumi frowned. "But we must be careful if we get him down."

There, Akumi walked her way straight towards the surface. And she saw the view of the city and the surrounding forestry and mountains from beneath her, with all traces of clouds gone from the skies.

With no sign of any aircraft to help them down, all that they could do is sit upon the surface, wondering what could happen next around them. She placed her hand upon Fletch's, leaving them to look on at the crescent moon with curious glares.

All of a sudden, a rumble was felt underneath them. They both knew that that wasn't coming from Ariel now that he had vanished for good. Curious, Fletch walked to the edge and looked carefully; piece by piece, the rest of the tower was crumbling apart.

"The tower…" he flinched. "It's falling! Akumi, hold onto a pillar!"

Quickly, Akumi made her way towards the edge of the arena, holding onto a pillar that stood around its circumference. At the same time, Fletch ran towards Han and carried him into his lap, before running towards another pillar.

Though the crumbling of the bricks ended up stopping by the time they reached the marble floor that the youths were on, it didn't stop any damage towards the general status of the tower and the worried expressions shown upon Fletch and Akumi.

And just like that, they felt a plunge. Just like that, the remainder of the tower was making its way towards the ground; falling like a large china plate towards a rocky surface, ready to shatter upon contact with ground level.

All that Fletch and Akumi could do was hang on as they fell further and further. The views of the mountains and forestry started to become clearer to them. They tried to make out the view of Theoropolis but in spite of their best efforts, no building could be seen.

* * *

It wasn't long until the mountains were obscured by some of the tallest trees in the forestry. Maintaining their grip, they knew that they were not going to land upon the surface with a comfortable landing.

The crescent moon was seen hanging above the forest area, like a lantern in a ghost house. A subtle light was sent towards the trees below, which in turn covered many of the passageways inside the area with nothing but a canvas of darkness.

A gentle breeze blew through the area, allowing some of the leaves and bushes to drift gently, carrying the cold air through and through. Sometimes it got strong enough to even send some fruit and nuts towards the ground.

One nut in particular landed on Fletch's head. He was seen trapped in a bush, half-unaware of his current surroundings. He poked his head out, his head moderately covered in a green bushy mass.

"A… Akumi?"

Confused, he stepped out of the bush, trying to rub off any twigs and leaves that ended up getting caught on his clothing in the process. Rubbing himself off, he tried to look around his local surroundings.

He went down the clearly identified path in front of him, covered in a light shower of rocks and mud. The pathway looked very clean in comparison to the rest of the forest flooring surrounding him.

As a result, he came straight towards a fork in the road. He saw one route going towards the left, and one towards the right. Both of them led through bushy undergrowths, them in particular covering both paths to the point that they would be unusable.

"This…" he then shivered gently. "This must be the fork that Han and I went to split up and search for her. But… what's with the thick patching?"

He went towards the left hand side of the fork, feeling upon the thick undergrowth that had grown in front of the path. The amount of nettles and thistles grown onto it had looked as if it would be impossible to get through.

Blinking with curiosity, he placed one of his hands upon his chin, trying to think so hard about the situation ahead of him. But his thought was soon interrupted by a sequence of footsteps that ended up coming from his right.

"Maybe Theoropolis might have been a dream for us."

The remark left him to turn to his right, and right there, he saw Akumi, her clothing slightly covered in mud and several leaves getting stuck in her hair. Smiling, he went towards her, getting rid of some of the moss that was stuck to her in the process.

"Are you okay?" he quickly asked her.

"I think I am", she nodded. "But I can't see any of the blocks from the floating tower anywhere."

"Neither can I", Fletch shook his head. "And the way to the city is covered with thick overgrowth. Maybe it wasn't made to exist."

They both looked towards the undergrowth together, both showcasing the same intrigued expression on their own faces. But just then, another thought struck the boy, leaving him to quickly turn towards her.

"If that's the case, what about Han?" he questioned her again. "Is he okay?"

"Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer."

The answer led them to turn towards the path that Fletch walked down to begin with. And there, there was Han, standing there, looking as if he faced a similar mess to what Fletch and Akumi managed to encounter. At the sight of him, Fletch instantly ran towards him, taking a hold of his face in an instant.

"Han!" he smiled with a joyful look. "I'm glad you're okay!"

"Get off my cheeks!" Han resisted Fletch's grasp. "It's not as if we fell out for a week."

The youths ended up exchanging laughs among one another, but it wasn't long until Fletch's laughs started to dwindle to the point that he showed growing curiosity about the several days that have gone. Had time really passed in the real world in the same rate as in Theoropolis?

"Han, do you remember anything about this Theoropolis place?" Fletch asked him.

"I remember going there, but I see it as some kind of dream", he sighed as he unrolled his sleeve and looked at his wrist. "According to my watch, we lost Akumi here a few hours ago."

"So we went there but we didn't really go there", Fletch replied with surprise. "This is confusing."

Looking down with a more worried glance than the usual, Fletch soon brought his attention towards the undergrowth at the fork. Knowing that whatever passage he ended up taking several hours before, he knew that there was no way to explore them and see what was there.

"Nonetheless, I think the city seems to be back in order", he spoke lightly as he turned towards his companions. "I just hope that they would be able to pick themselves up again after all this."

And so, they all walked down the passageway, back towards the clearing, all through the same sets of hills and valleys that were undertaken as Akumi ended up chasing the chipmunk earlier on in the day.

"I can't stop thinking of Darkwing" Fletch frowned. "He provided a great sacrifice to us, and now, I don't even know if he would grace the minds of the personnel we'll come to know of again."

"Fletch, you must be hungry", sighed Han with disbelief. "You know that Darkwing isn't real."

Han placed a hand upon Fletch's shoulders, but not even that was enough to try and lift his spirits. His facial expression still looked as if the whole thing about Theoropolis felt so real and alive.

"Whether what we saw was real or not", Fletch began to retaliate, "as long as the town's okay, we should be too. And here we are, back at Fort Pearl."

By that time, they returned to the clearing. And it was still in the same state as they left it – several emptied plates with chicken bones and cleaned up packaging to boot, along with the picnic basket placed alongside the rug the rubbish was all placed upon.

"Let's face it", Han started to form a smirk. "Our strategy to branch off at the fork to get Akumi back worked. Now it's YOU who will continue to take her to school."

"Yeah, whatever", Fletch gave off a subtle moan.

Rolling his eyes, he proceeded to clear up the picnic, placing all rubbish inside a black trash bag that was inside the basket. Akumi ended up rolling up the rug and placing it in her hands, leaving her to look ahead as she made her walk back towards the housing estates.

Fletch and Han soon did the same, carrying the trash bag and the picnic basket respectively. They knew that they faced an eventful day in the forest, but whether their thoughts on Ariel being their collective father or the whole experience were true wasn't the main concern upon their minds.

As far as Fletch was concerned, the city's welfare was something that remained fixed upon him. Now that Ariel had vanished, what will happen to the city? What has happened to his spear? And now that their father was out of the picture, what would happen to Akumi's status as a "maiden of light"?

For all he cared, he may never know.

_-end of chapter-_


	19. Epilogue

AUTHOR NOTES

Well, this is it. The final part of the story is here. Though it was a mild route through and through, I'm glad I took the priviledge to write it.

So yes, seven years of writing had lead me to writing a dynamic final battle. I even see these to be one of my strong points, lol. I also felt that Darkwing deserved to receive a strong role there, given that he was often portrayed as this clumsy character that had been out of the loop for a long time.

But with that fresh in our minds, it's fair to go through the ending procedure. I'm not going to go through the main details on my inspirations here, but there are three things I need to mention.

Firstly, what happeend to Han REALLY happened to me when I was a little girl, so it had to be used for inspiration!

Secondly, concerning the Chief Samaritan and Prime Minister roles, choosing who would obtain those roles kept changing every time I revised the chapter. Original thoughts went to Jak and Ripto, both of those guys haven't appeared in a videogame in a long while as well as served important roles to the city (Jak being an Imaginarium Guardian and Ripto just doing his part in combatting Ariel). Then the thought went to Fox's associates Spyro and Blaze given their contributions to the city, but their reputation in the "real world" had to be taken to account. The final result of the choosing went to finding a Chief Samaritan who can be very flexible with their approach to the outside world personnel and could equally channel it to the city as a result and a Prime Minister that had experience of governing a city before in the one game that they appeared in. So there we go, I think.

And thirdly, the epilogue was based on the events circulating those series in the past twelve months (bear in mind that I started concepting this in May last year). In the case there's been no news for a certain franchise, something had to be made up on the spot. :p

I hope this goes down okay. Maybe next time I write a fic, I'll just stick with the one franchise and develop from that. Regardless, I'm glad we've managed to get this far, and thanks very much for your time.

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

_The picnic then managed to continue ahead very fluently. Almost all memory of the goose attack managed to escape from our heads as we literally started to enjoy all the food that managed to be layered out in front of us._

_"Heh, nothing like a lunchtime picnic to face the day, right?"_

_I gave out a broad smile towards Han and Akumi, licking all the crumbs off my lips as I did so. I wouldn't have thought of a better and more peaceful moment to be around two of the closest people that I might have known._

_Heck, I can even say that we were very clean to boot. We managed to eat everything off whatever plates we layered out, give or take a few chicken bones stacked neatly on a few, some fruit peels placed inside any used sandwich bags and other similarities. Even the bottle of water we took with us to consume was almost empty._

_"I can say it was lightly satisfying", Han smiled at me. "I find it odd that our other guest wasn't able to attend to us."_

_"I agree, Han. Still, at least Akumi didn't mind eating the remains that he could have had himself."_

_Han started to smile, but then he turned to Akumi. She never escapes from her habits of licking her plate clean. I could let her off considering the barbecue sauce that covered it, but it's a sight that didn't want to interest him any time soon._

_"As long as we had fun here", Akumi beamed happily when she finished, "that's all that matters, right? I can't really imagine a Summer day quite like this for a while. I love you guys!"_

_Just like that, she suddenly leant in front of me, outstretching her arms and hugging me in one of the most painful hugs I might have faced since she actually found out about her father's mailing and whatnot. Is this what it feels like for her to be happy?_

_"Hey, get off sis!"_

_Regardless, I quickly pushed myself away from her, though it was to the point that I ended up losing my footing and rolling away from the picnic and towards a moss covered log. As soon as I stopped, I looked on at her with a shake of the head._

_"Next time you want to hug me like that, do it in a place where it's unlikely that anyone can see us!" I shouted towards her, looking slightly annoyed._

_"Oh yeah, like who would do that?" Han instantly shook his head. "How about that caterpillar on that tree? That bird flying above us? Or that chipmunk just passing by in the middle of the road?"_

_Akumi soon paused. "Wait…"_

_She looked to her left, and then to her right. Both of her pigtails moved simultaneously in the wind as she did so. She then stood up, trying to take a look for whatever kind of detail that came out of Han's mouth._

_"Did someone say 'chipmunk'?"_

_And by then, we sensed that our venture would make its beginning. We would never have guessed that right there and then, the chipmunk standing directly in front of Han would be Emperor Ariel in a dodgy disguise._

_And with the events unfolding after that – Akumi begging me to go fetch it for her, as well as her going on to chase it on her own accord and Han and I to trail straight through the forest to grab her – it was the beginning of a venture that we couldn't have imagined._

_And look at how we all ended up. Akumi ended up with Ariel and got put to sleep in some kind of power chamber in the Imaginarium. Han took a while to adjust to his surroundings and found a friend in Ripto._

_Myself, my first stop was too easily to be Coco Bandicoot's diner in Rosemary Fields._

_And to think that several months on after the ordeal has finished, we would all be still here, alive and well, thinking about the times that have managed to come and pass. Great memories have been shared by all of us, no matter how dangerous or tiresome some would come to be._

_Little would we know that the experience would take days in the city, but would act as a vision that lasted for a few hours in the real world. Even now, the concern on whether Theoropolis was a real experience encountered still baffles me._

* * *

Several months passed, and once again, Fletch, Han and Akumi ventured into the forest together. But this time, it was on their own accord and not by the gesture of someone that they contacted.

In one clearing in particular, Fletch was seen sitting on a tree stump, trying his best to get in a comfortable posing position. Akumi was at the opposite end, hoping to paint him. But in spite of that, her expression looked grim.

"Akumi, is there something wrong?" he asked her cautiously.

Akumi looked on at Fletch with a pair of teary eyes placed around her. All that the boy could do was look on at her, pondering over what kind of aspect might have made her spirits dwindle so much.

" Let me guess, you packed the wrong paintbrushes again, didn't you? Or am I not in the pose that you expected me to pull off?"

"No, my equipment is okay", she soon clarified to him. "But… I don't understand."

She ended up putting her paintbrushes down and walked her way away from the easel that was set up in front of her. Sitting on a rock, she looked down, maintaining the same grim expression that she looked on at Fletch with.

"Ever since the trip to Theoropolis, I felt really uninspired" she sighed. "I don't know why; I keep on having the urge to paint something. But I can't seem to focus what moods I want specifically."

"Is it something to do with this whole light thing in the prophecy?" Fletch replied with a lip twitch.

Akumi looked on at him with a light blink. Thinking about the prophecy together was something that might not feel right considering how the venture through Theoropolis turned out to be. With that, she looked back at the trees to her left, sighing gently.

"Even if we collectively were the providers of light, I don't think it has much of a connection", she confirmed with a shake of the head. "Besides, I don't feel any different."

"Don't worry", Fletch spoke confidently. "Maybe it's because the months are getting colder, that's all. The environment can do wonders to the mind, even if they're not exactly wonderful."

Shaking his head, Fletch took a hold of a nearby tree branch and hoisted himself up onto the ground. There, he looked towards the exit of the clearing and proceeded to make his walk away from her.

"I wonder if Han has any blueberries yet", Fletch thought to himself. "I'll see whatever he's got."

And so he left, leaving Akumi to look back at the easel, pick up a paintbrush and try another target. She found a beehive nearby, yet in spite of its simplicity, her face showed frustration as she tried to find a way to get started with painting it.

Meanwhile with Fletch, he made his way to another clearing, where he ended up seeing Han with his back turned to him. He was seen trying to pick away at a blueberry bush, his hands obviously being covered in the juices of said fruit.

"Han, did you find anything?" he calmly asked him.

"I honestly can't see much", Han replied while shaking his head.

Fletch, however, shook his head with doubt. "Tell me again, did you find anything?"

"No, I didn't!"

"Maybe I need to re-phrase it. Did you eat anything?"

"YES!!"

Exploding in laughter, Han turned towards Fletch with gooseberry juice covering his lips as if it was etched on like face paint, with similar splodges showing on his cheeks and nose. Fletch almost forced a chuckle before he started to show a more annoyed expression.

"Han, what's got into you?" Fletch blinked with an awkward glare. "Since the whole Theoropolis thing, you've become less of yourself than the usual!"

"If there's anything I learnt in there, a guy's gotta smile once in a while!" Han cackled in response. "Besides, I would say the same for you. You've become less timid and now you're the kind of guy that would steal a jock's lunchbox all by yourself."

"I guess that's true", said Fletch while he folded his arms. "But bear in mind that the blueberries will be made into a pie tonight, so if you want a worthy treat for all three of us, then go for it!"

"Anything for my best friend and his sister", Han nodded.

"No!"

Han ended up blinking as he looked towards Fletch, whom soon turned back towards him. Giving off a moderate blink, he brought his hand into the air and pointed straight towards him with a very charismatic pose.

"Remember now. It's your half-brother and _your _sister."

Han looked on at him with a very understanding smile, and with that, Fletch once again ended up leaving the area, skipping along the growing grasses that were situated right underneath his two feet.

It didn't take long until he reached a clearing to call his own again. And once there, he saw various standing mushrooms nearby. Withdrawing a small bottle of water from the pockets of his backpack, he sat down and started consuming the contents.

Above him flew several birds, making rapid sweeps right above him, leaving him to smile with one of the broadest smiles he might have given off in a while. But it wasn't until a shadow started to come into the area surrounding him, leaving him to suddenly stand up, trying to trace it.

And then he saw the holder of the shadow – a very familiar figure stood in front of him.

"Spider-Man?" Fletch identified him. "No… you can't be. You're just a guy in a cheap costume."

"Fletch?"

True to his word, Spidey was seen standing in front of him. And to confirm his identity, he removed his mask, showing the same mass of brown hair as shown when he went through Mario's burning shack with the boy.

"It _is _me", he nodded. "I shouldn't be here, but I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"Me?" Fletch blinked, pointing at himself.

"Yes. Time has gone by so far since Ariel's overthrowing. And the city has made a change to the better. Maybe he was right – he wasn't the bringer of light. You were."

"Spidey…!"

Fletch tried to speak back, but before he could do so, Spidey was already foot-to-foot with him, bringing a hand down towards the boy's shoulders. And with that, he confidently smiled down at him, with the boy's face being reflected in his eyes.

"Thanks to your efforts, the city has changed so much", Spidey spoke with warmth. "Myself, I've been able to work with an old friend of mine in renovating an old shack. Alongside from that, I've also been able to maintain my role as a great comic book hero."

Confidently smiling, he then ended up walking his way back to the entrance of the clearing that he once was at before, jumping his way towards the entrance as he did so, a deep glare showing upon his eye in the meantime.

"As a past Samaritan, I'm glad that the city is starting to turn out so much better - less rubble, and more union between one another. It's in the best shape that I've seen in a while."

He then beamed gently towards Fletch before he started to make his departure. At the sight of that, Fletch suddenly started running towards Spidey, trying to reach out for him. But by the time he reached the exit of the clearing, he was already gone.

"I hope I will see you at the party today if you're coming over", he shouted to the boy from afar.

"What party?"

He then continued to run down the clearing, outstretching his hands, trying to reach out for Spidey if he could ever see him. Several turns came and went, but regardless of what he could do, he was unable to reach out for him.

"Hey, wait!"

Eventually, he gave up and ended up resting at a nearby tree once again, unable to catch up with Spidey. He then looked around his surroundings and tried to take his words in piece by piece, twitching his face as he did so.

The whole idea of a renovating shack and growing status as a comic book hero has made Theoropolis feel so real according to the boy. But what was the party that he mentioned? That thought left him perplexed for a little while longer when…

"Fletch?"

The call left him to look behind him, and standing there were two more figures – a familiar human female figure and a familiar male lombax. Both of them were seen donning blue and crimson uniform around them instead of their usual combat suits.

"Ratchet? Joanna Dark!" he gasped at them both. "I thought I can't see you without arguments!"

"You'll be surprised at how mature he's become" Joanna smiled towards the boy.

"I'd say the same for her" Ratchet mimicked her actions.

Their pointing at one another left Fletch to raise the eyebrow above his remaining eye. Though there are some things that could change, there are still bound to be some things that would never change.

"So many things have happened in the past few months", winked Ratchet. "I'd say that us running the Imaginarium as joint guardians is one of them."

"The Imaginarium?" Fletch questioned with confusion. "But I thought it was blown to bits!"

"The new one has been under construction for a while", confirmed Joanna. "It may not have as much heritage as the old one, but it will be powerful and it will help re-generate any lost stimuli from the demolition of the first. We just need to launch it this afternoon."

"So, is that how Akumi has been feeling uninspired?" he pondered to himself.

"On top of that, the old Guardian Jak got a further promotion up the city", Ratchet replied again.

Fletch's head soon pointed up. "He's in the Senate?"

Joanna shook her head. "Even better, which is what we've been told. We'll find out today."

Smiling, both Ratchet and Joanna ended up locking their hands together, and just like that, they ran straight past Fletch in the same direction that Spidey ran previously, before once again vanishing in the distance.

"See you there!" Ratchet shouted from several paces away.

Again, Fletch started to run. "Wait!!"

Fletch ran and ran towards the pair, but before he could even reach them, they already had vanished and were unable to re-trace. Not long after he started running again, he once again gave up.

The clearing that surrounded him that time was significantly darker thanks to the thicker trees that were located above him. The breeze also started to feel significantly colder, leaving him to rub his arms as he sat in place.

Before he could concentrate on anything else, another shadow crept over him, leaving him to once again look behind him. Once there, he saw a female shadow making its way towards him, moving with a stealthy approach.

"Are you looking for someone?" she spoke, showing her familiar black hair and green tunic.

Fletch blinked at the sight of the figure, now shown in the light. "Jade, you're here as well?"

"Yes, Fletch", she nodded back. "My time in the city since Ariel's defeat has changed for the better. Rayman also got a promotion like Guardian Jak, but he left me in charge of Club Ubi. And because of Sam Fishcer's unprofessional behavior, he almost fired him but he was given another chance to redeem his past. I hope to help him out, at least for the sake of the city."

She then ended up smiling as she withdrew a photo from her possession. And it was there that Fletch witnessed a small frame of the time when Rayman gave the tavern to her, complete with a minor celebration in the background. He gave off a warm smile at the sight of it.

"Also, haven't you heard about Spider-Man?" she asked the boy with a trivial glare. "He's renovating Chez Klaww with Dimitri Lousteau!"

"He didn't tell me that!" Fletch shouted with a squeak in his voice.

"I thought he would. He hasn't stopped boasting about it for days!"

Fletch blinked carefully. Surely, Spidey did mention that he got to renovate a certain area with a "friend" of his, but why Dimitri? He thought that those two were unable to get along very well, but according to what he's seen, some things could change altogether.

"So, are you coming over to the city festival?" she asked the boy. "It's going to start in 30 minutes. Don't worry, the gates will be open just for you."

"They're…" Fletch squinted his eye. "They're actually open?"

Jade gave off a nod of the head as she extended her hand towards Fletch. And that left them to walk down the passage together, going through the thick growth of the surrounding trees in the process.

It didn't take long until they reached the familiar fork in the road that Akumi got herself lost in chasing a chipmunk, several months ago. The undergrowth that blocked the paths was gone! There, Jade went up the right hand path and made her run, waving at Fletch as she did so.

He soon turned back the way he came. "Han! Akumi! Wait til you hear about this!!"

Smiling broadly at the scenery around him, Fletch started to pick up a running pace, making his way straight towards the route that he initially travelled through, once again going through the darkened path that he went through to begin with.

Not long after that, he managed to get towards a significantly brighter portion of the woods; that signalled that Fletch was several metres away from his travelling companions. His heart was racing just as quickly as his feet at that moment in time.

Finally he reached the clearing with the blueberry bushes. He saw Han successfully picking the fruit this time around, and at the sight of him he extended his hand, took a hold of him and went back towards Akumi. He knew that the time to return to Theoropolis was nigh.

* * *

It wasn't long until the three youths managed to make their way straight back towards the fork. Knowing that both paths led to the city anyway, there were no arguments over which path to take to get there.

They all took the right in the end – the same path that Han initially took to get into the city. They went through a slightly darkened passage before suddenly being exposed back into a wider clearing with thinner trees around them.

The amount of shrubs and wildlife around them was slightly depleted in comparison to the rest of the forest, but the sight around them still looked so vibrant and peaceful, leaving them to smile with such graceful expressions around them.

"So you're saying that we've got an open invitation to a party that no one else in this world knows about?" Han briefly questioned his comrades.

"If it is, then it sounds great!" beamed Akumi. "It beats slaving over watercolors for two hours."

"I don't even know if it'll be all fancy and showbiz-like", Fletch shook his head. "But whatever happens, I want you both to remain sane. Is that understood?"

"We will", nodded Han. "Believe us!"

Both Han and Akumi winked at Fletch gently, whom ended up focusing back towards the path itself, twitching his face slightly as he did so. How could a boy who ate several handfuls of raw blueberries be "sane" at a time like this, he thought to himself.

Regardless, they knew that whatever would happen, they were about to face a powerful opportunity. An invite to a festival like this sounded like proof that Theoropolis could be just as real as the rest of the world.

It wasn't long until they reached the end of the path. And right there, they were separated from the city by a giant steel gate, blocking just as much sunlight as the trees situated above the youths.

The darkened state of the doors left them to all stand still as they tried to figure out a way to get inside. Fletch started off by trying to knock on the door, but to no avail. That was soon followed by Han trying to ram it down with his shoulders, but it left him to just slide down the side of it.

All that Akumi could do was shake her head as she saw the boys' failed attempts to open the door. She was then seen helping her companions to their feet, before focusing back at the door once again. And suddenly…

"Open sesame!"

The doors suddenly creaked open, allowing a bright stream of sunlight to suddenly shine in their faces as they did so. The intensity left Akumi in particular to end up crouching down, using her arms to completely block everything off.

And then, the light faded out, allowing Fletch to squint his eye and try and see through it. The first detail he was able to make out was that of a teenaged male with brown spiked hair. The familiar sight of him left his face to light up at the sight of him.

"Sora!" Fletch started to cry with happiness. "We missed you!"

"Fletch! Glad you could make it!"

The light then faded out, and true to their word, Sora was there standing in front of him, near various buildings around the Yellow Echidna district. Fletch ran straight to his arms, leaving them to end up embracing one another, happy to be reunited again.

"Yeah, you've just come here at the right time", Sora gracefully smiled. "Theoropolis will face so many changes today. The Imaginarium Mark II will be open for business, and we will also see a great change to the leading forces of the city."

There, Sora pointed towards the skyline. And right there, there was a giant mass seen being covered with what looked like a regal crimson cloth. The sight of it left Fletch to give off a broad smile.

"It sounds so exciting", he spoke with a wheezy tone. "A lot of people have caused so much of a buzz around it. I can't wait to see how things will shape up!"

"Me too", the key bearer replied. "I find it to be really amazing to see everything come all this far. If I was Spider-Man, I would be proud of what this is coming on to be."

Folding his arms with a confident grin upon his face, Sora turned back towards the city, blinking gently as he saw the city in its splendour. The district that he was in may be slightly slum-like, but it was still a great sight nonetheless.

"So what are you doing now that the city is reformed?" Fletch asked Sora quietly.

"I don't know, work on _Kingdom Hearts III_?"

Chuckles were exchanged between him and Fletch, while at the same time both Han and Akumi ended up looking at one another, curious over how those two ended up "bonding" in their time in the city.

"All seriousness aside", Sora resumed speaking, "Coco gave me her diner for some reason."

"Wait, wasn't that Fox's new base anyway?" Han asked with confusion.

"It was, until his gang disbanded for pastorals new. I find it surprising that she, Blaze and Spyro got promotions but not him."

"And on top of that", Akumi abruptly stated her point of view, "can't he give it to someone who's better at cooking and knows him better?"

"Gourmet Guy?" Sora blinked with a puzzled glare.

"Is that what the fat guy's called?"

"If that's the case, then he along with them got a promotion. I still don't know what it is yet, but it has to sound exciting. Besides, Axel seemed to be keener on cooking than me, so he could help me out with all this."

Smiling gently, he went up another street, this time being able to walk up to a higher slope. Once there, he looked around from the top and saw a great view from the top, his hair blowing gently in the distance as he got there.

The view of the southern districts never looked so spectacular according to Sora's point of view. With the Rosemary Fields and White Dragonfly districts being seen so clearly, alongside a nearby view of the cloak that covered the new Imaginarium, he knew that the city was about to face a brand new start – a new beginning, as it would.

"Come on, the ceremonial will start shortly!" commanded the key bearer. "We need to make our way to the Philip Cosmopolitan District!"

Fletch then jumped up and down on the spot, showing excitement. "We're on it, Sora!"

And with that, Sora extended his hand. Fletch took a hold onto it, and together they walked straight towards the Blue Lurker district, with Han and Akumi soon following them, locking their own hands as they did so.

The sunlight streamed above their faces as if it was a very powerful lightbulb hanging above them. Not a single cloud or potential drop of rain looked as if it could be there to spoil the day at all.

With the pleasant scenery in mind, Fletch continued to be very observant of his current surroundings. Curious over how the city could have changed for the better after Ariel's fall, he gave off a bright and toothy smile as his footsteps progressed.

* * *

Together, Fletch, Han, Akumi and Sora traversed across the city, seeing into numerous changes that the southern districts managed to face before heading up towards the Philips Cosmopolitan, where the ceremonial was waiting.

Passing by the Rosemary Fields district, they saw that Coco's Diner then became labelled as "The Kingdom Diner", with neon lights showing Sora's and Axel's faces onto them. The sight of it left Sora to end up blushing slightly.

They then passed by the Imaginarium, which by then the cloak that covered it was removed. And there it looked better than ever; it now took the form of what looked like a more majestic castle-like structure, with more towers added to the roster than the usual, complete with the occasional marble statue located outside, once again decipting the Guardians of the past.

Going back through the Green Goomba District, they saw that the ruins of Mario's apartment has been turned into what looked like a concert hall. The sounds of Bill and Ted playing on guitars filled the air in an instant.

They finally went back through the Yellow Echidna district, seeing Chez Klaww now looking like a proper restaurant than the shack that they initially passed through several months ago. Smiling at the sight of the changes, they then decided to make their way straight towards the Philips Cosmopolitan district, ready to see what was waiting at the other side.

There, they managed to reach the barrier leading towards the Philips Cosmopolitan district. The checkpoint that would require the group to work had somehow collapsed; though it still looked unpleasant in comparison to the rest of the surroundings in the city, they smiled, knowing that it would make things all the more easier to traverse the city.

As soon as they got towards the slopes that would lead towards the district, they saw a change. In the place of the original Senatorial Housing stood a new one, glossing with bright colors alongside the stereotypical cobalt color scheme it had before.

Various shades of white and yellow were outstretched to its left and white respectively, and the building itself also looked as if it had at least doubled in size. The sight of it left Fletch to gasp at it with awe-inspiring wonder.

"Wow, you weren't telling me that the Senatorial Housing got rebuilt too!"

"Yeah!" gasped Han. "It looks even more colourful than it was before! What's the big deal?"

Han brought his face towards Sora, whom also looked puzzled at the sight of it. He then tried to walk closer and closer to it, but he then saw a huge crowd starting to surround the door, filling the corridors in an instant.

"The only way we can find out for sure is if we can get inside", replied the key bearer. "But with the amount of people surrounding us, it doesn't sound easy."

"So we can't get in?" Akumi gave out a small frown towards Sora.

"I didn't say that it would be impossible! Let's go!"

With a confident grin, he withdrew his keyblade once again. Though, he knew that this time it wouldn't be for combat. Raising it high in the air, various Greek alchemy symbols and emblems relating to time appeared out of nowhere around the tip of the weapon, covered in a faint platinum light.

"STOP!"

A light glare soon surrounded, enveloping him and the three youths all together. With that, the entire surroundings were stopped in time – the crowd was frozen, and some petals were seen hanging in mid-flight.

"What did you do?" Fletch asked Sora, his jaw dropping in amazement.

"We stopped time, for the purpose of us to meander straight through to the entrance of the building. I wonder if I will retain that magic when I face my next game project, if I face it."

"Enough talk!" Han shouted briefly. "We must get there before time expires! …Does it expire?"

Refusing to answer the question, Sora made his dash through towards the crowds. Once there, he jumped from back to back, moving gracefully inside with all might flowing straight through his body.

Fletch and Han soon followed, though the former was slightly less graceful as he ended up falling flat on his front as soon as he got inside. Akumi was unable to climb, leaving her to push whatever persona she could see out of the way.

"These people are hard to push!" she flinched with feebleness. "They're almost like statues!"

Fletch turned to her in response, twitching his nose at her. "Let me see if I can get you through!"

Quickly, Fletch waded his way back through the crowd, trying to reach out for her. And when he finally got her, he brought his hand towards hers, and tugged her through the crowded spaces like a dog on a leash.

"Hang on tight!" he called out to her.

"Not too hard!" she cried with pain. "You could break my arm!"

Pulling as hard as he could, he was finally able to bring Akumi inside, and as soon as they did, he ended up falling on his back, sending her flying and landing on her chest directly next to him. Both of them started to pant for breath, knowing how hard it was to wade through a crowd of people frozen in time.

There, all four personas started to make their dash down the corridors, running as fast as they could. Observing their current surroundings, they saw cobalt flooring formed out of wood, beautifully decorated golden flowers onto white pillars, and delicate shades of blue rounding out any wallpaper and ceiling textures.

"Okay, we have a clear path", smiled Sora. "This should be easier to move through."

At the very mention, several waves of light started to surround the group. Looking around them, they saw some of the people around them starting to move slowly. The sight of them left Akumi to blink with worry.

"The time effects are giving off! Quick, we need to get out of here!"

Sora then focused his attention to something to his left. "On the tables!"

Quickly, Sora pointed towards a set of beautifully polished tables in front of him. Together, they all climbed onto one of which together, walking their way alongside it towards the next few doors in sequence.

And then, there was a flash. All of a sudden, time had returned, with various crowd members starting to run past the table in anticipation of going towards the audience room, just like the youths were.

"The time limit's gone", sighed Sora. "We might as well get our best views from here."

"We might be lucky yet", Fletch replied with a light twitch.

Fletch looked on at the people on the floor, zooming past him like blurs as if they were riding motorbikes. He knew that there was no chance that he could survive without getting trampled on, so with that, he looked up, and saw various obstacles that could assist him that bit more.

"I'm going for the chandelier!"

Sora quickly shook his head. "Fletch, wait!"

Fletch didn't listen. Instead, he instantly took a hold upon a nearby chandelier and swung from one side of the room to another, providing a small Tarzan cry in the process. He soon approached the table at the other side with ease.

Standing there, he pushed the chandelier towards the direction of Han, Akumi and Sora. It wasn't long until it reached the others, ended up zooming past them and striking the ceiling, sending a small amount of debris near their feet.

"Catch!" Fletch called out to them.

Jumping into the air, Sora ended up taking a hold of the chandelier, being the second person to swing across to the table that Fletch was on. Once he was there, he pushed it back towards Han and Akumi, this time being lucky enough not to damage the ceiling any further.

Once there, Han ended up lifting Akumi into the air, leaving her to buckle around the chandelier before he pushed it towards Fletch and Sora. She then was brought over safely, with the two males helping her down.

Finally, the chandelier was sent to Han, whom jumped on it like a frog on a lily pad. As soon as he was safely across, that left the group to keep traversing down the corridors together, through a few set of cracks in the wall in the process.

"We need to find a way to the end of this crowd!" Fletch panted as he left a nearby crack.

"Over there!"

There, Han pointed towards a large set of doors in front of him, covered in sharper flower patterns than those shown on the pillars around him. Showing an amazed expression, they all looked at each other, wondering what was at the other side.

"That's the audience room!" gasped Fletch. "Or, that's where it was originally."

"Don't worry about what it is now" Han soon shook his head. "We need to keep moving!"

And so they all continued to run, making their way closer and closer to the ornate doors. At some extent, Akumi started to slow down, leaving Fletch to slow down and take a hold of her by the hand, trying to drag her along.

But the sight of the doors looked as if there were no room to be able to try and bypass it instantly. Waving his keyblade into the air, Sora ended up summoning a brief speck of fire among the tip of his weapon.

"FIRE!"

He then launched the weapon straight forward, allowing a fireball to get launched straight into the air, swirling with intense energy as it got closer and closer towards the door. All that the others could do was watch on, wondering what it would cause.

And just like that, it blew up a door straight through the center of the door – unable for anyone in the crowd to traverse unless they were good climbers, but a possibility for anyone that had resorted to standing on tables.

"The road's clear for us!" he happily rejoiced. "Let's get inside!"

And so, Sora made his jump towards the hole, taking a hold on the gap and swinging inside in the process, with the others soon following – or in the case of Akumi, struggling to get inside and having Fletch and Han tow her inside. And once they were inside, they were greeted… with the face of Murfy.

"WOW!" Fletch soon raised his voice. "What's going on?"

"Fletch, glad you could make it!" Murfy held his hand and did a handshake. "How's it hangin'?"

"Minister Murfy, will you please sit down and wait for your cue!" boomed the voice of the King of All Cosmos nearby. "You're going to delay the ceremonial!"

"Yes, your majesty."

The commentary left the green fly figure to make his way towards what looked like a silver curtain. Fletch also took notice of the creature's clothing; no longer was it the standard uniform of the Senate, but rather a fancy silver suit that glittered in the candlelight around them.

The curtains ahead were arranged just like the exteriors of the building – a shade of silver to the right, yellow to the right, and a hint of blue onto the center stage. Standing above it, there was the King, but instead of the usual red uniform that he wore, he donned a more colorful blue and purple number around him.

"We can see that we're on a full house today, so it's time that we will begin."

He then raised his hands into the air, causing several sparks to fly above him. The sounds caused the crowd inside the building to quieten in an instant, giving Fletch and the others time to find a small set of seats among the back row, ready to hear to his words.

"The city of Theoropolis has faced many trials since its creation many hundreds of years ago, by the people of the outside world willing to send us forth as figments of their own imaginations. We provided amusement, emotions and warmth to living outsiders everywhere."

The King looked on at the personnel ahead of him with a proud expression upon him, focusing his eyes on everyone and anyone that was sitting inside the ceremonial. A bright ray of sunlight was seen casting down upon the center isles in particular.

"As time grew on, the depths of what we could do expanded. But many trails came through us, including the lack of initial land space, booms in its population, development of more ideas in the Imaginarium and even the case scenarios of tyrant rulers."

Thinking about the latter statement, he ended up lowering his head and shaking it slightly, thinking back to the event of the past several months – the time of Ariel's diabolical plan. He soon recomposed and looked back on towards the personnel in front of him, trying to maintain a stern look once again.

"But now, as we go further into the 21st Century, the city will face another renovation in its forces. Thanks to the cooperation of everyone around us, we have faced a bright future without worry and tyranny for anyone."

Bringing his hands into the air, he started to show more confidence with his speech, allowing some of the personnel sitting nearby to show more confident looks as time started to drag onwards.

To match those capabilities, spotlights ended up being shot over the three sets of curtains that covered his immediate surroundings, illuminating them in a thick and beautiful golden light on both sides.

"And now, to further promote ourselves into the new era of Theoropolis, we have had a change in the leadership. It will no longer be an Emperor and his Senate but there will be order from THREE houses, each lead by a figure that has been of great importance within the previous ordeal. One of the past senate members, having fit the requirements for one of the other two houses, will be placed in one of these new ones, giving us two parties of six and another party of seven."

All of a sudden, a pedestal appeared out of nowhere, sporting many colorful buttons on it according to the curtains arranged throughout the room. There, the King placed one of his fingers upon a golden one towards the left.

"The Gold Samaritan House, lead by Chief Samaritan Mario!"

The first curtain was opened, and there stood Crash, Rayman, Jak, Sonic, Spyro and Mario donning uniforms – or in the case of Spyro, a medal around his neck due to his quadruped status – symbolising their role in the government. Mario gave out a broad wave towards the audience, whom in turn stood out thanks to his suit sparkling brighter than the others.

"The Silver Heir House, lead by Prime Minister Praxis!"

That was then followed with the King pressing a silver button, showing another set of six persona at the right. There were Coco, Murfy, Praxis, Ripto, Blaze and Gourmet Guy, all donning white suits, with the glow on Praxis's obviously being more intense.

"The Cobalt Senate House, to be lead by the next Prime Chancellor!"

A blue button underneath the other two buttons was pressed, allowing the curtain underneath the King to be shown. Standing there, Snake, Clank, Cortex, Peppy, Lara, Samus and Duckula were all seen waving out towards the audience.

"Keeping the housing together and functional is Secretary Etna!"

A small trigger was pressed, showing a spotlight on a balcony above the king. And there, Etna was seen waving back at the personnel, now showing significantly more revealing clothing than during Ripto's Emperorship campaign.

"Looking after everything together will be two of us. We, the King of All Cosmos and our beautiful queen, will rule the city as King and Queen of Theoropolis!"

And from the King's right, there came the Queen, now donning a beautiful display of white and pink fused together. They both waved towards the audience, which responded back with a loud and brash applause.

It didn't take too long until the King summoned the audience to quieten down, spreading his hands as wide as an eagle once again. Once they were silenced, he took a step forward once more.

"And now, we need a new Prime Chancellor to fill the space that we left behind", the King spoke more softly than the usual. "We want to pass it to a Senate member who took a great amount of liberal courage to go as far as he managed to go. A guy who countered the odds regardless of what kind of moods we will grant in return."

He looked along the personnel in the Senate Housing eye to eye, with each of them looking just as concerned as the king. And then, he stepped over one in particular, pointing down at him as he spoke.

"We want to welcome to the stand… Prime Chancellor Neo Cortex!"

The entire room was brought into applause, as a spotlight instantly shone down upon Senator Cortex, whom reacted with a moderately sheepish look back at the personnel around him. His heart was felt skipping several beats at once as that happened.

The audience then started cheering at him, summoning him towards his feet; by then, his facial expression started to show signs of insecurity around him, leaving him to hesitantly turn towards Peppy for help.

"I… I don't deserve this!" he panicked while breaking into a cold sweat. "I honestly don't!"

"You do!" Peppy nodded hastily. "Get up there and show what you're made of!"

Taking a hold tightly upon his back, Peppy made his escort, leading Cortex straight towards the king. The thought of becoming a Prime Chancellor, after everything that had happened, was something that he felt he wasn't quite ready for, but…

"Senator Cortex!"

The shout from the audience suddenly allowed Cortex to lift his head and look behind him. And there, standing on top of one of the pews was Fletch, waving his hands, trying his best to get his attention.

Knowing that he would have been unable to get to his current position without his help, he smiled back and waved at him. But even that smile didn't last long as he was soon brought foot to foot with the King, the latter towering over him multiple times in size.

"Cortex", the King addressed him, "you have shown so much worth to the city, even though much of it was your own ideas, sometimes shared between yourself and Minister Ripto."

"But your majesty-"

"This is among one of the greatest honors a figure in the city will be bestowed upon. We will make sure that after what you did, you will wear it with pride."

Inside the King's grasp was a deep scarlet jacket, just like he wore as a Chancellor himself but several sizes smaller. Cortex took a hold onto it, raised an eyebrow and looked back at the King with the same concerned glare he had when he first stood up.

"But honestly", he addressed the King. "As much as I appreciate your gratitude, there is someone in the Senate House that is more deserving of this than me."

"What?" he blinked in response.

"It's the truth. I was merely a thinker, not a doer."

All of a sudden, the audience in the room was brought into silence, focusing hard upon Cortex as they did so. The Senator then turned towards the audience, his expression looking warmer than the usual.

"I want to give this to someone who will use his powers better than I can. People may see me as a reckless individual at times, and I don't want to turn into another Ariel."

Sighing, he then made his walk back towards the stand where the remaining members of the Senate members were. And once there, he focused his attention towards Senator Hare, whom stood there with a curious glare.

"Peppy Hare, I want to give this to you", Cortex tried to pass the jacket to him.

Peppy shook his head and pushed it away. "But I thought you deserved it!"

Reluctantly, Cortex kept shaking his head, trying his best to pass the Chancellor's jacket to him. All that Peppy could do was look on at it with a light blink, and then he turned back towards the audience.

Though he knew that he did wrong in trusting Ariel at the beginning and relying on Fox and his group to tackle the problem at the beginning, he somehow knew that he had a broad level of maturity to tackle the job, leaving him to look back at the jacket with a light twitch of the ear.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

And so, Peppy took a hold of the jacket and looked at the structure around it. Various line-like patterns graced it, leaving him to blink with a deep amount of curiosity gracing his facial expression.

And then, he actually donned the jacket, allowing it to blow freely around him. It wasn't long until he actually gave out a brief nod, having to accept wearing it around him. And then, he made his standing around the pillar, with the people around the area breaking into applause.

"But doesn't this leave one space free in the Senate House?" Fletch asked Sora curiously.

"That's right", the key bearer nodded. "I wonder what happens next."

Showing curious glances as well as trying to break into applause at the same time, the group looked closer and closer towards the stage ahead of them, wondering what would occur now that the Prime Chancellor had been chosen.

And then, as soon as Peppy sat down in position next to the King, the latter ended up standing firmly, before taking a hold onto the giant button set in front of him. And with that, he looked on at the Queen with a vibrant smile upon him.

"With one spot vanishing from the Senate House, we welcome another. Open the doors, my Queen!"

And there, she responded by running her way to a set of ornate double doors towards the right hand side of the stage. And there, a shadow stood, donning a similar uniform to most of the government personnel inside the building.

The figure finally showed itself into the light, showing his details bit by bit. Webbed feet, white feathers and the distinct pale blue eyes showed him to be a white duck. He was also seen holding onto a bandana and a detective's hat in one of his hands. At the sight of them, Fletch's face instantly lit up.

"DARKWING DUCK!! He's alive!"

Jumping with joy to see the new recruit to the Senate, he then stood up from his position and dashed towards the front of the stage, outstretching his hands in joy. His cries soon managed to catch the attention of the duck, leaving him to look straight towards the center aisle.

"Fletch Davis!" Darkwing called out to him.

At the sight of Fletch running, his face instantly lit up, knowing that the boy was there to see the celebrations around him. There, he outstretched his own hands, ready to welcome him into his arms.

And just like that, Fletch leapt onto the stage with a valiant leap, and as soon as they got there, both he and Darkwing were brought into a comfortable reunion's hug. The touch of his feathers on his skin was enough for the boy to know that Darkwing was alive and well.

"Darkwing, I missed you so much!" the boy cried happily. "How… how did you survive the fall?"

"Remember what Spider-Man told you", he replied gently. "We citizens never die – just disappear. And when the outside world think of us, we will never truly vanish from the world."

The soft tone of his voice left Fletch to look up gracefully at the duck, exchanging a shy but beautiful smile upon him. Those words were all he required to know that he was there as fairly as possible.

There, the lights simmered gently onto Darkwing, leaving the personnel inside the building to smile in awe as they saw the embrace continue onwards. And then they separated them from each other, still fixing their eyes in the process.

"Fletch, get off the stage while we finish the ceremonial!" the King called out with a stern tone.

Upon that command, Fletch ended up jumping from the stage and making his run back towards Sora. The sight of him running left Darkwing to smile with a very satisfied glance around his own two eyes.

Then, the King made his walk towards him, leaving the duck to soon turn towards him, blinking back with a gentle glance towards him. And then, the former ended up crouching down to his level, holding onto a blue jacket around one of his hands in the process.

"You have shown your greatest courage in the adventure you had with Fletch. You stuck with him almost all the way through, and showed increasing signs of courage as time went on. Add to your sacrifice to further weaken down the past Emperor's energy and your recognition as a Disney cartoon superstar 14 years ago, and you have managed to pass the criterion for the job."

With that, he held out the jacket, ready for Darkwing to take a hold onto it. And then he did so, fitting into it into the process, continuing to fix his eyes on the king as he actually managed to put it on.

"We welcome you to the Senate House", the King gently smiled. "Senator Drake Mallard!"

Upon that shout, the entire building was brought into a wide applause, leaving the duck to smile back towards the personnel around him with a very graceful smile upon him. The lights simmered gently above him, knowing that his time was ready to be made within the Senate.

Meanwhile, back with Fletch and the others, the boy showed a sign of confusion as he fixed his glance onto Sora. Tapping onto the key bearer's shoulder, their eyes soon fixed upon one another once more.

"Drake Mallard?" Fletch maintained his puzzled look. "I thought he was Darkwing Duck!"

"That's just Darkwing's alter ego", clarified Sora. "I think he'd be a little more professional in this form. Hopefully."

Blinking gently, Fletch fixed his glance towards Darkwing, showing a curious glance as he saw him make his advancement towards the rest of the Senate and sitting among them, now knowing that he was one of them.

And then, he started to applaud again, being able to concentrate his glance upon the entire room. Who would have thought that he would revisit a place like Theoropolis, seeing it rebuild itself significantly after the fall of Ariel?

And who would have also thought that Darkwing would also survive, and a great number of his accomplices will play an important part in the city's rejuvenation to boot? At the sight of all this, his smile had never got warmer.

Though he may be the only outsider to witness it, he knew that Theoropolis will continue to survive as an obvious influence towards the creative direction of the outside world for eras to come.

* * *

Once the ceremonial was over, the doors that lead outside were open wide again, allowing the crowds that were inside the building to suddenly storm out towards the street, showing joyful expressions on their faces.

A parade went all the way around the city, with the various personnel of the city taking their fair share in riding it, from the government to the Wyld Stallyns to Imaginarium staff to even some random shop owners.

This continued for many hours, and during the time the people danced and sang in the streets, uniting their hands in peace as they did so. The sun continued to shine down brightly onto them as if it was the brightest disco ball that ever lived.

Several hours then passed, and the skies then ended up turning to a deep crimson color. And by that stage, Sora lead Fletch, Han and Akumi towards the entrance, where they ended up hugging and shaking hands with the key bearer for the last time.

The steel doors that separated them both were sealed shut slowly, and when they finally were, an echoing bang was sent around their immediate area. It was then known that there was no way to make their way back inside Theoropolis.

No one in the outside world knew whatever happened towards Fletch's spear or Han's rapier sword. But there was one thing that the Imaginarium staff had known – the placement of those weapons inside the cellars of said building has shown that the legend of a boy that saved the city from a growing darkness would be retold for generations to come.

* * *

Several weeks then passed, and it was then that Fletch's and Han's relationship grew stronger than ever. It then got to the point that they were both confident enough to do all sorts of activities outside together, without any authentication from their mothers.

On one instance, Fletch was seen trying on all sorts of shoes in his own bedroom, but regardless of what he wore, he didn't look comfortable. Sighing, he then removed what he had on his feet and knocked on Akumi's bedroom door.

"Akumi, I want to borrow your ice skates while I go out with Han. Is that okay?"

Several moments passed, and with not a single response granted, he then took a cautious blink as he tried to step into the room itself. The obvious sight of clothes thrown all over the floor and drawings placed all over the wall have shown that she had been creative on her part.

But there was one item that ended up getting his attention – there was a book placed on her dresser. Carefully, he made his pacing towards it, hoping to take a look at what was she was reading, or writing, whichever way can be seen.

And finally, he saw what was on the cover – a beautiful painted variation of himself and his cohorts. Blinking with caution, he then picked up the book and started reading through it page by page.

And just like that, he knew that he was making a journey down memory lane, once again with his mind focusing on the now distant city of Theoropolis.

* * *

**Epilogue**

**Crash Bandicoot **felt the urge to play games with his comrades. That was the central focus for the release of _Crash Boom Bang! _on the Nintendo DS later that year; unfortunately, critics stated it to be the worst game in the series, leaving some concern taken towards the marsupial's next direction. Little would they know that it would begin with spiral tattoos…

**Rayman **saw a challenge to want to "fight creatures not normally associated with fighting". There, he chose rabbits and set up a mini-game fest through _Rayman: Raving Rabbids_. The feedback received from the outside world showed that it catered well for the Nintendo Wii, but other consoles might not have been so lucky.

**Mario **faced a busy campaign after he became Chief Samaritan. On top of the preparations for _Super __Mario Galaxy_, his next adventure, he also tackled some spin-offs to help entertain his audience for the time being. Most surprisingly at all, he was the talk of the town when a truce with Sonic the Hedgehog led to an Olympic Games spin-off to be released the following year.

**Sonic the Hedgehog** tackled the next-gen platforms over the winter months, with the releases of _Sonic the Hedgehog_ on the Xbox360 and PlayStation 3 and _Sonic and the Secret Rings_ on the Wii. Upon being asked about his partnership with Mario for the coming Olympic Games project, he said: "We're mature enough to get along now. It's not the 1990s anymore!"

**Spyro the Dragon** rebooted his own franchise through _The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning_, released in the fall season for many current-gen systems and handhelds. In addition, he is now able to fly for 30 minutes and perform barrel rolls, much to Prime Chancellor Hare's persuasion. But his actions came with a price of losing significant contact with Fox McCloud during this time…

**Jak** took his role in the Senate to heart and decided to polish the city with any ideas he came up with. It was noted that he left the gaming picture for 18 months, his last appearance being in _Jak X: Combat Racing _just before Fletch's arrival, leaving his peers concerned over his future. But whatever he will tackle down the line has remained safely inside his head and nowhere else.

**The King and Queen of All Cosmos** ruled for many seasons ahead. Their plan was to retire while ahead along with the _Katamari Damacy_ franchise, but demand for their appearances on the next generation gaming platforms made them go in the other direction. The King basically remarked – "We are sure that a katamari will cover the entire universe. Believe in us!" 

**Bill and Ted** sent the Wyld Stallyns on a pub tour across the city in the following year. With Axel and Praxis out of the picture, Wolf o' Donnel and Boba Fett replaced them on bass and drums. They occasionally used guest vocalists in their act, including Celes Chere, Viewtiful Joe, Parappa the Rapper and even the King of All Cosmos himself…

**Jade** operated Club Ubi with the warmth of 50 suns, showing many of her co-workers to be among the happiest that they have ever been since Rayman's disappearance. The same couldn't really be said about Sam Fischer, whom has ended up spending most of his days reminiscing over the fact that he might never get a promotion after his "input" in Ariel's final confrontation.

**Spider-Man **and **Dimitri Lousteau** made Chez Klaww grow to be a city hotspot, almost rivalling Club Ubi if its functions were less like a restaurant and more like a watering hole. With Spidey juggling his roles through there and being a comic book hero, Dimitri learnt a lot of practical experiences alone, and it was there that he became a more mature lounge lizard as a result.

**Sora** and **Axel** worked hard with the Kingdom Diner, earning a substantial profit thanks to their excellent breakfast services. No one knows what they would do with any revenue they obtain, but rumors are saying they could be saving up for whatever kind of ideas would come up for the next game in the _Kingdom Hearts_ series…

**Secretary Etna **kept the Senate houses well operated. Though she had the same iron fist that she had as an Imaginarium Captain, she started to act more pleasant thanks to her higher salary. Outside from work, people have approached her and asked what _Disgaea 3_ would contain. All that resulted with was many charcoaled personnel wondering around the nearby marketplace.

**Fox McCloud** started air tours all over the city with his customised Arwing alongside working on _Starfox Command_, released for the Nintendo DS several months later. When asked why he didn't get a promotion for his services, he just said: "As long as Starfox is still active, I'm happy. I would rather wait for fate to state my next challenge in the city once the franchise is put to rest."

**Prime Minister Praxis** finally paid off his outstanding Beverley Hills mortgage. Though most sources have reported his roles with the Heir house to be responsible for the amount of cash, others have ended up stating that he had robbed poor boxes in nearby churches to pay everything off. The truth is yet to surface at this moment in time.

**Prime Chancellor Peppy Hare**, and** Senators Neo Cortex ****and** **Drake Mallard **contributed by collectively adding tighter security towards more vulnerable regions, including the Imaginarium and the Rosemary Fields district. Though the move resulted in more revenue to the citizens, concerns rose over how it could damage the creative flow from the city to the outside world.

**Imaginarium Guardians Ratchet** and **Joanna Dark** were the first two personnel to gain access to the Wishing Point on the Imaginarium Mark II. The former started to make early negotiations for advancements to the PlayStation 3 console, while the latter had decided to take a suspended break from any videogame projects for the time being.

* * *

In a distant underground lair, the sounds of clashing rocks and metal, along with the bubbling of lava could easily be heard from a distance away. Even the dead trees standing outside screamed that that would be a place where hope would go to perish.

Inside it, ran two boys – Fletch and Han. Both of them were holding onto their weapons with proud valor among them. They jumped across many obstacles in their way to try and get further up the tunnel.

"Come on Han!" Fletch pleaded to his partner. "We'll go through this together and save Akumi!"

"I'm on it!"

But before anything else could happen, the pair was suddenly surrounded by shadow monsters. The sight of them left them to raise their weapons in their aim and charge to their enemies in opposing directions.

"Take this!" Fletch shouted with determination.

Fletch sent a blow straight towards one of the creatures, holding onto his spear tightly. It then glowed with a bright white aura, but… before anything could happen he suddenly froze mid-action, as if he was paralysed.

"I need a hand!" he screamed, confused. "What's going on? Why can't I do my power attack?"

Han then turned his attention towards the boy. "Let me get in here!"

One of the shadow monsters swept in to try and attack Fletch, but before they could layer down any form of damage, Han leapt onto the scene and blocked the demon with his rapier, before puncturing it to death.

"My spear isn't moving!" Fletch called out to his comrade. "Help me out!"

Showing a sign of caution on his face, he looked back towards Fletch, whom was still standing there in a paralysed formation. With his eyes widening, he tried to help Fletch by moving and tugging him, but it didn't seem to work.

"You fight Ariel by yourself!" Fletch soon gave in. "I'm too powerless to go on!"

Blinking with caution, Han then knew that he had to approach her nonetheless. He looked right at the other end of the chasm, and right there, a stone door opened up, revealing exactly what was at the other side.

And there was Akumi, trapped in a cage, screaming for help inside it. What separated the two boys were a stream of lava and several wall hooks. That left Han to climb onto them, being careful not to get struck by any leeches that would come out from the walls.

"Bite the dust!"

For every monster that popped out, he then made quick work of them with his rapier. And then, he managed to succeed to the other side. Looking into her distraught face, he tried to use his rapier as a form of a lock pick onto the cage.

"Akumi!" Han called out as he tried to free her.

His picking was soon interrupted by a squeal from Fletch. "Han, _my X button is broken!_"

Among the shouting, Han's expression ended up showing a blank stare, as he then turned back towards Han. By then, their surroundings were starting to form random moments of TV static all around them.

The action was then only seen to be a standard videogame, held together by an unspecified blue game system. There, Sora and Axel were seen holding their controllers in disbelief, the former having some golden substance running upon the right hand side of his own.

"This is why I can't move Fletch" Sora sighed in irritation. "The controller's covered in nutmeg!"

"It's not my fault it was all greased up like that!" Axel bitterly replied back. "You need to learn to handle such foodstuffs better while preparing pastry products. Got it memorised?"

Axel gave off a light chuckle, leaving Sora to growl as he looked down at the nutmeg covering one of the buttons on his pad. Sighing, he then placed it down and started to approach the storage cupboard, hoping to get out some cleaning equipment.

But before he could do that, a knock was heard on a door. That was odd, he thought to himself. Looking at a timetable and a nearby wall clock, business in the Kingdom Diner was over for the day. With that, he went towards the door anyway.

"Sora, it's Fox here. I have mail to give to you. It's from Fletch."

Sora's jaw dropped slightly. "Messages from the outside world? How's that possible?"

With his eyes raised in surprise, he took a hold of the door, and true to the word of the person behind it, there was Fox, holding onto a set of printouts around his arm. His Arwing was seen parked in the middle of the road, right behind him.

Then, Sora managed to take a hold of the papers, removed the elastic band that separated everything and started to take a look through them. As that happened, Axel also came through with curiosity.

From there, several drawings were seen, each being clearly photocopied and signed with a defined "A.D.W." signature. That could have shaken Sora's head knowing that that were the exact same initials as Emperor Ariel, if he didn't notice Akumi writing her own name at the back – _Akumi Davis-Willis._

And included in the mix was a less polished drawing, this one being signed with Fletch's initials. The sight of seeing him in the foreground, with everyone he met on his journey, gave Sora a warm smile on his face.

With the sight of the drawings fixed in his mind, all three looked on at the sunset sky ahead of them. They knew that Fletch would strongly believe in his trials around the city for a long time, and it was there that the boy that gave the light came, went, and made everyone's dreams come true.

And as the sun was eclipsed over the Green Goomba District, they were about to face their first night in the hidden city of Theoropolis… at peace.

* * *

The Theoropolis Saga _crossover fanfiction is © Rexy 2007. All non-original characters belong to the following companies:_

_Buena Vista Games/Square Enix (_Kingdom Hearts)  
_Cosgrove Hall (_Count Duckula)  
_Eidos Interactive _(Tomb Raider)  
_Konami_ (Metal Gear Solid)  
_Lucasfilm (_Star Wars _use of Boba Fett_)  
_Marvel Comics (_Spider-Man)  
_Namco (_Katamari Damacy)  
_Nintendo (_Mario, Metroid, Star Fox)  
_Nippon Ichi (_Disgaea _use of Etna)  
__Orion Pictures (_Bill & Ted)  
_Rare (_Perfect Dark)  
_SEGA (_Sonic the Hedgehog)  
_Sierra Entertainment (_Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon)  
_Sony (_Jak series, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper _use of Dimitri)  
__The Walt Disney Company (_Darkwing Duck)  
_Ubisoft (_Beyond Good & Evil, Rayman, Splinter Cell)

_Thank you and God bless._


End file.
